Africa Longevity Study

Background

The Ghana study is a follow-up study in the north of Ghana. Here, we follow around 25,000 participants since 2002 in about 300 km2 of African savanna.  In this area, people live in patri-local polygamous families in clay huts with thatched roofs. In this population we study ageing and life histories in a natural environment where infectious diseases are still the major cause of death and a natural fertility pattern is observed. We have gathered DNA samples from over 4000 individuals, blood samples from over a 1000 individuals and have extensively studied environmental factors as drinking sources, socioeconomic status and family structures.

Goal

We try to better understand ageing in a natural environment. We study genetic aspects of the immune system. We also study environmental and sociological aspects of child survival and health.

Results

This study has shown that there has been selection for children with a high pro-inflammatory profile. We also found that the number of children and the family structures in these polygamous compounds are important for child survival. Both socioeconomic status and drinking source were also important determinants for child survival.

For information on the Africa Longevity Study you can contact Drs. D. van Bodegom.

More infomation on the Africa Longevity Study can be found at  LangLeven.net/Ghana Studie (only available in Dutch)