About the Africa Brain Health Atlas

Our Framework

The dashboard is structured around the World Health Organization's 2022 framework for optimizing brain health across the life course, encompassing five key determinant categories: Physical Health, Healthy Environments, Safety and Security, Learning and Social Connection, and Access to Quality Services. We have also mapped the established potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia identified by the Lancet Commission on Dementia onto this framework.

Where indicators are specifically mentioned in either the WHO white paper or the Lancet Commission reports, we have identified and, if available, sourced the relevant data. We have also included additional indicators that are likely important for the African context, such as HIV and undernutrition.

The indicators presented are not exhaustive; rather, the dashboard is designed to serve as an introduction and springboard for further exploration, research, and policy development. If there are indicators you think would be useful to add, please get in touch with us.

Our History

The Africa Brain Health Atlas began in 2022 when Atlantic Institute Fellows in Global Brain Health (GBHI) Kirsty Bobrow and Wambui Karanja and other members of the African Brain Health Network identified a critical gap: while countries routinely report health, social, and economic indicators to international organizations, these data were scattered and difficult to access, hindering research and policy efforts.

Our initial prototype was developed to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating and visualizing these disparate datasets. Through funding from the Atlantic Senior Fellows program, the platform has evolved to expand functionality and accessibility. The current version has been rebuilt to provide improved performance and a more intuitive user interface.

Data Sources

Our dashboard integrates data from multiple international sources including:

• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
• UNICEF
• UNAIDS
• World Health Organization: Global Health Observatory (WHO GHO) and NCD portal
• The World Bank
• Institute for Health Metrics Global Burden of Disease Exchange (IHME GBD)
• NCD-RisC

All datasets are published for non-commercial use. Data provided by third-party sources remain subject to the original provider's license terms. Where data sharing agreements allow, we have enabled data downloads from our site; where they do not, we link to the original source. Please credit all sources listed above.

Our Impact

The Africa Brain Health Atlas has served as a foundation for training in data visualization and changing the narrative around dementia and brain health in Africa. Kirsty Bobrow, Wambui Karanja, Ifeanyi Nsofor and Lebo Molefe teamed up and obtained funding from the Atlantic Senior Fellows program to develop and deliver a project to Shift the Narrative around Brain Health and Dementia in countries in Africa.

To date, we have trained over 25 graduate students and 50 journalists, equipping them with skills to interpret and communicate brain health data effectively to inform research, policy, and public understanding.

Contributing Scientists

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