Health and well-being of older adults in rural and urban Rwanda: epidemiological findings from a population based cross-sectional study

Background: Ageing often leads to multimorbidity, frailty, and disability; these interconnected conditions significantly impact quality of life (QoL) and strain healthcare systems through increased dependency and care needs. Despite their importance for health system planning, they remain understudied in Rwanda's older population. Here we describe the epidemiology of these outcomes in Rwanda's ageing population.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based study among Rwandan adults aged ≥40 years across urban and rural districts, whereby we used validated tools to assess multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions), frailty (Fried Frailty Score), disability (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0), and QoL (European Health Interview Survey - World Health Organization Quality of Life (EUROHIS-QoL)). We used multivariable analyses to examine associations between the outcomes and demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Results: Among 4369 adults, multimorbidity prevalence was 55.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 53.7, 56.6), with frailty affecting 14.5% (95% CI = 13.5, 15.6) of this population. Disability prevalence was relatively low, with a median score of 10.4% (interquartile range = 2.1-25.0), while the mean QoL score was 48.2% (standard deviation = 15.6). We observed impairment in activities of daily living (ADL) in 16.0% (95% CI = 14.9, 17.1) of the sample. Health outcomes worsened with age, particularly among those aged ≥70 years, and among females compared to males. Multivariable analyses showed that higher socioeconomic status and urban residence were significantly associated with lower frailty, disability, and ADL impairment, though urban residents had higher multimorbidity rates and poorer QoL. Higher educational status was associated with reduced disability and improved QoL.

Conclusions: Our findings show a substantial burden of multimorbidity and frailty among older adults in Rwanda, with significant gender, socioeconomic, and urban-rural disparities. Integrated care models that address both the physical and social determinants of health, with a focus on reducing gender, socioeconomic, and geographical disparities, are needed to improve the well-being of older adults in Rwanda.