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A Longitudinal Study of the Egypt Healthy Aging Initiative AL-SEHA

  1. Research at AUC
  2. Social Research Center
  3. A Longitudinal Study of the Egypt Healthy Aging Initiative AL-SEHA

AL-SEHA is an Egyptian initiative funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) for five years. The initiative is a collaborative activity among the Social Research Center and the Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology at The American University in Cairo, the Institute of National Planning (INP) and the Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max-Planck-Institute for Social Law and Social Policy. It aims to contribute to global knowledge on the aging population by establishing an Egyptian health and retirement study modeled after the U.S. Health and Retirement Surveys (HRS) and its sister survey, the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). 

The initiative will fill a significant lacuna in the international network of harmonized aging studies, as Egypt represents the centerpiece of the Middle East with an enormously diverse population at the intersection of Mediterranean, Arab and African influences. It also aims to support responsive, healthy aging policies by conducting a longitudinal study of older persons in Egypt that monitors the life journey of adults across various dimensions, including health, access to health services, income, occupation, environment and socioeconomic changes over a long period. 

The AL-SEHA survey is the core activity of the AL-SEHA initiative. It will be administered to a large nationally representative sample of older persons aged 50 years and older. The survey will provide a baseline and a first follow-up wave, including a community module, geocoded data and environmental data. It will also administer a tested and contextually validated tool to measure the prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment in Egypt, following the harmonized cognitive assessment protocol (HCAP).

 

Initiative Activities

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Why Egypt?

The family of harmonized longitudinal aging studies encompasses more than 40 countries. Adding Egypt fills a significant gap in the global knowledge on aging.

  • Demographic and Geographical Front
  • Cultural Front
  • Health Front
  • Policy Front
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Adapting the SHARE Tools to the Egyptian Context

In preparation for the AL-SEHA survey, the initiative team translated and adapted the SHARE tools and engaged in building the capacities of national researchers in aging survey methodology. This called for many activities, including a literature review, building research capacities and field piloting.

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Gaining Regional and National Endorsements for Health Aging Studies

These activities aim to investigate the regional demands for launching an initiative for an aging study modeled on the SHARE experience and the importance of securing a rich evidence base that contributes to knowledge and influences policies and actions for older persons.

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Launching the AL-SEHA Survey

  • AUC’s kick-off of the AL-SEHA Survey
  • RCC Opening Ceremony: Healthy Aging in Egypt Panel Discussion

Survey Activities

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Other Relevant Activities on Healthy Aging Activities in Egypt

Study of Aging Population (Egyptian SAGE-1994)

This study was one of the earliest studies on older persons in Egypt. It was implemented by the Social Research Center of the American University in Cairo with support from the WHO office in Vienna. (for more details on the study, refer to Khadr 1997)

  • Khadr, Zeinab 1997. Living arrangements and social support systems of the older population in Egypt.” Doctoral Dissertation. The Population Studies Center, The University of Michigan
  • Khadr Z. Differences in levels of social integration among older women and men in Egypt. J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2011 Jun;26(2):137-56. doi: 10.1007/s10823-011-9140-3. PMID: 21340707

Validation of Gender Differences in Disability, Health Status, and Care

This study aimed to address the important methodological questions regarding the usefulness of health interview surveys to gather information on the elderly in developing country settings. In particular, this study attempted to answer questions about the applicability of health instruments that were designed in developed countries' settings to measure health status among older populations in developing countries.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Aging (NIH R03 AG21707-01 2003)

Read More about the Validation of Gender Differences in Disability