Health and ageing in low, middle and high-income countries (1)

Owing to the decline in fertility, mortality, and improvement in longevity, the number of the older persons is increasing in India. To successfully address the challenges of the rapidly growing older population, it is essential to have an understanding of wellbeing of the older population. In this study, we examine the socio-demographic differentials with respect to health status, functional disability, and quality of life of the older population in India. The study uses the data from the World Health Organization sponsored “Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE-INDIA)” of 2007. This pioneering survey gathered information from 6560 persons (aged 50 years and over) from six Indian states. All the three indicators of wellbeing shows that wellbeing is better for males than females, and that wellbeing deteriorates with increasing age. Wellbeing is positively associated with higher levels of education and economic status. This study shows that the outcome indicators vary significantly by socio-demographic characteristics. Any programme aimed at improving the wellbeing of the older population should be targeted to those who are poor, the aged, female, and uneducated. Social security measures, including pensions and health insurance are also crucial in ensuring the quality of life and wellbeing of the older population in India.

The main objective of this paper is to establish the prevalence, pattern, and risk factors for non-communicable disease in Botswana.

Data used in this study was obtained from the Botswana STEPS survey which was a population-based survey of adults aged 25-64. Using a multistage cluster design, a total of 4,003 respondents participated in the survey. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics as well as logistic regression analysis.

The study results showed that the prevalence of hypertension was 16% for both sexes, but more prevalent among women than men (20% and 11%, respectively). The prevalence of diabetes was 1.7% for both sexes, but more prevalent among women than men (2.4% and 1.0%, respectively). Both hypertension and diabetes increased with age of the respondent. The major risk factor associated with hypertension and diabetes was high body mass index, which is itself resulting from high consumption of tobacco and alcohol, low intake of fruits and vegetables, and high levels of physical inactivity.

The Government of Botswana should put in place effective intervention strategies to combat the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the country. Failure to act now may result in serious socio-economic losses.

As more as people live longer, concern with their health is the most important of middle and older ages. This paper aims to examine the disease burden among the aged persons in the study area. To analyze the socio-economic and demographic background characteristics of the aged person in the study area. To find the predictors of the disease burden among the aged persons in the town with fitted model of logistic regression analysis The present analysis has been made the data obtained from the aged persons in the Kumbakonam town. 3 percent of the respondents were selected as the sample from the total population. But removing uncorrected schedule 300 samples were taken for the analysis. . The analysis indicated that except sex and religion other variables significantly associated with dependent variable at 0.05 percent.

The European Union population will remain the world’s oldest region into the 21st century. According to EUROPOP 2010 projection, the percentage of people in EU27 aged 65+ will increase from 17.4% in 2010 to 29.5% in 2060. However, the pace of ageing will vary across countries. The study will primarily focus on confronting demographic indicators of ageing with investigating the attitudes towards the elderly based on the recent survey on Active Ageing (Special Eurobarometer 378, 2012). The East-West divide observed through demographic indicators of mortality and health is also repeated in attitude patterns. Citizens in former EU15 tend to be more satisfied with their health than those in NMS12 (12 New Member States). People are most likely to set old age lower in Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Germany, etc. General perception of the elderly at age 55 and over is the most positive in Luxembourg, Finland, Cyprus, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium while it is very negative in Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Latvia, Slovakia. Former socialist countries do not show old-age friendly environment despite the fact that currently they still belong among the youngest populations. Therefore, for such countries it will be a significant challenge in the future to cope with the fast population ageing.

The 2009 Population and Housing Census data have indicated that Vietnam is reaching the end of its “demographic transition” marked by three emerging characteristics, i.e. decreasing fertility rates, decreasing mortality rates, and increasing life expectancy. As a result, the percentage of elderly population (aged 60+) increased from 6.9 percent in 1979 to 9 percent in 2009 or 2.12 times in term of absolute number. Vietnam population will enter the aging phase in 2017.
Getting old before getting rich, the elderly population in Vietnam is facing various health issues i.e. changing substantially from communicable diseases to non-communicable and chronic ones; higher treatment cost; poor quality health services to the elderly living in rural, mountainous areas and ethnic minorities as well as low awareness of health risks among elderly themselves. In contrast, insufficient investments have been made to the elderly care system leading to the fact that while life expectancy is increasing, healthy life conditions for the elderly have not been significantly improved.
In response to the aging situation, a policy package needs to be addressed from strengthening healthcare services to health education, better elderly-friendly living environment and public social and community-based assistance.

The study examines how health outcomes at older ages are associated with socioeconomic status (SES) in rural and urban Vietnam and how such patterns of health inequality have changed over the last 10 years (2001-2011). Vietnam has witnessed rapid economic development, a significant increase in income inequality, and major health-sector reforms. These factors may have implications for older adults’ health. Research related to the wellbeing of older adults is becoming more important as Vietnam begins a period of rapid population aging. The share of Vietnam’s population age 60 and older is estimated to grow from 8% in 2010 to 31% in 2050 and by then, the number of Vietnamese older adults will increase by 335%. Analyzing nationally representative data from the 2011 Vietnam National Aging Survey (the country’s first national survey of older persons) in conjunction with the 2001 Vietnam National Health Survey (the country’s most comprehensive health survey), this study addresses three specific research questions including: Are there socioeconomic gradients of self-rated health among older persons in rural and urban Vietnam in 2001 and 2011? Did inequality pattern that existed in 2001 remain consistent or altered across the two time periods? Were consistencies or alterations uniform across rural and urban locations?

Thailand ageing society has been occurred since 2005, health and well-being of the elderly is a crucial concerned. Number of research reveals that critical factors effected the elderly depression including physical health, demographic and socio-economic of the elderly and religious practices. This study aims to examine whether the varying depression in older population is determined by religious, it’s expect that religious activities will have a negative relationship with depression variability. The study based on a longitudinal data set, 636 elderly aged sixty and over, who were followed up since 2005 thru 2011. The depression is measured through Thai EURO-D scale. Our findings support that religion acts as a protection mechanism for the elderly. In addition, financial satisfaction has significant impacts on improvement, deterioration, healthy or chronic depression status of the elderly. Female are more likely than male elderly to get the depression, and the depression increased with the elderly’s age too. This study suggests that not only roles of the religion and financial security that need to be seriously enhanced, but also the depression prevention mechanism needs to taken into account the sex and age of the elderly.

Using data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging, this study sought to evaluate whether National Health Insurance (NHI) produces a longitudinal beneficial effect on life satisfaction of older Taiwanese adults. Results from growth curve models indicated a significant decline in life satisfaction after the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake and no significant increase after 2003 SARAS; however, a significant increase in this after 12-year NHI establishment. In addition, the pre-NHI uninsured had a significantly lower level of life satisfaction before NHI establishment in comparison to the pre-NHI insured through Government Employee insurance (β=-1.38, p<0.05), even controlling for concurrent medical care utilization and health status. And, NHI significantly reduced gaps in life satisfaction between the pre-NHI uninsured and the pre-NHI insured over time. These findings suggest a long-term effect of the NHI policy on life satisfaction among older adults. The NHI efforts to promote life satisfaction among older adults should be recognized.

The main objective of this paper is to establish the prevalence, pattern, and risk factors for non-communicable disease in Botswana.

Data used in this study was obtained from the Botswana STEPS survey which was a population-based survey of adults aged 25-64. Using a multistage cluster design, a total of 4,003 respondents participated in the survey. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics as well as logistic regression analysis.

The study results showed that the prevalence of hypertension was 16% for both sexes, but more prevalent among women than men (20% and 11%, respectively). The prevalence of diabetes was 1.7% for both sexes, but more prevalent among women than men (2.4% and 1.0%, respectively). Both hypertension and diabetes increased with age of the respondent. The major risk factor associated with hypertension and diabetes was high body mass index, which is itself resulting from high consumption of tobacco and alcohol, low intake of fruits and vegetables, and high levels of physical inactivity.

The Government of Botswana should put in place effective intervention strategies to combat the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the country. Failure to act now may result in serious socio-economic losses.

Health status and mortality risks differ by type of living arrangement. Living as a married couple has a protective effect, whereas living alone is often associated with poorer health and higher mortality. Mortality is higher still for those living in institutions. However, given that those living in institutions are generally in poorer health than those living independently, it is unclear whether this higher mortality risk among the institutionalized population results from their poorer health, or from other causes. We use an exhaustive Belgian data set of 1.7 million persons aged 65 and above from the 2001 census, and model their survival during year 2002 using logistic regression and controlling for age, sex and education. The results confirm that living with a spouse is associated to the lowest mortality risk but survival for both is improved when the husband is older than the wife. Other types of family-household living arrangements are less favourable, while living alone is better for women than it is for men. Those living in institutions have a higher risk of mortality than those living in private households, irrespective of their health status. However this disadvantage declines with age, and effectively disappears after age 90.