The health of older adults in India: an empirical investigation into the perspective of social determinants of health

Thanvi, Jyoti and Bakshi, Sanjeev and Mishra, Shailendra Kumar and Pathak, Prasanta (2008): The health of older adults in India: an empirical investigation into the perspective of social determinants of health. Published in: IER JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND DEMOGRAPHY , Vol. 6, No. 2 (January 2021): pp. 15-30.

Abstract

Health at older ages is more about chronic conditions and special care that these chronic conditions require. The present work is an investigation into the health of older adults in India from the perspective of Social Determinants of Health. For the purpose, health is defined in terms of the prevalence of selected chronic diseases. Pooled data from the 42nd and the 52nd rounds of the National Sample Survey has been utilized for the investigation. Associations of the prevalence of selected chronic diseases with various socioeconomic factors are explored utilizing the logistic regression models. The results are interpreted in terms of the odds ratios pertaining to the logistic regression models. The prevalence of chronic diseases are found to be associated with gender, marital status, financial independence, living arrangements and education of the older adults. Place of residence and economic affluence of the households are also found to be associated with the prevalence of selected chronic diseases. However, each of the selected chronic diseases has its distinct pattern of prevalence across a multitude of socioeconomic factors. The investigation supports the inclusion of Social Determinants of Health perspective into the health policy planning for older adults.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: ageing, chronic diseases, health, older adults, social determinants
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I12 - Health Behavior

References

Adama Peter, Michael D. Hurd, Daniel McFadden, Angela Merrill and Tiago Riberio. 2003. Healthy, wealthy, and wise? Tests for direct casual paths between health and socioeconomic status. Journal of Econometrics, Vol.112, pp. 57-63.

Adda Jèrôme, Tarani Chandola and Michael Marmot. 2003. Socio-economic status and health: causality and pathways, Journal of Econometrics, Vol.112, pp. 3-56.

Agresti, Alan. 1996. An Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, INC.

Baker, Kristine R.,Mary Beth Ofstedal, Zachary Zimmer, Zhe Tang and Yi-Li Chuang. 2005.Reciprocal Effects of Health and Economic Well-Being among Older Adults in Taiwan and Beijing. Policy Research Division Working Paper ISSN: 1554-8538, Population Council.

Barbotte Eric, Francis Guillemin, Nearkasen Chau and the Lorhandicap Group. 2001. Prevalence of Impairments, disabilities, handicaps and Quality of Life in the General Population: A Review of Recent Literature. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 79 (11).

Cambois, Emmanuelle, Jean- Marie Robine and Mark D. Hayward. 2001. Social Inequalities in Disability Free Life expectancy in the French Male Population, 1980-1991. Demography,Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 513-524.

Census of India. (2006). Population projections for India and states 2001-2026: report of the technical group on population projections constituted by the national commission on population. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India.

Chandola, Tarani.1998. Social Inequality in Coronary Heart Disease: A Companion of Occupational Classifications, Social Science and Medicine. Vol.47, No. 4. pp. 525-533.

Deeg, Dorly J.H. 2007. Health and Quality of Life in Quality of Life in Old Age: International and Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives by Heidrun Mollenkopf and Alan Walker (Ed.). Springer. pp. 195-214.

Gliksman, M. D, R. Lazarus, A. Wilson and S.R. Leader.1995. Social Support, Marital Status and Living Arrangement Correlates of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in the Elderly. Social Science and Medicine. Vol. 40. No. 6. pp. 811-814.

Hayward, Mark. D. and Bridget K. Gorman. 2004. The long Arm of Childhood: The Influence of Early- Life Social Conditions on Men’s Mortality, Demography, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 87-107.

Kaneda Toshiko, Zachary Zimmer and Zhe Tang. 2004. Differentials in Life Expectancy and Active Life Expectancy by Socioeconomic Status among Older Adults in Beijing. Policy Research Division Working Paper ISSN: Population Council.

Kelly MP, Steward E, Morgan A, Killoran A, Fischer A, Threrlfall A, Bomejoy J (2009) A conceptual framework for public health: NICE’s emerging approach. Public health 123: 14-20

Luke, Douglas A. 2004. Multilevel Modeling. SAGE PUBLICATIONS.

Manor Orly, Sharon Matthews and Chris Power. 1997. Comparing Measures of Health Inequality. Social Science & Medicine, Vol.45, No.5, pp. 761-771.

Matthews Ruth J., Lvey K. Smith, Ruth M. Hamock., Carol Jagger and Nicola A. Spiers. 2005. Socio-Economic Factors Associated with the onset of Disability in Older Age: A Longitudinal Study of People Aged 75 Years and Over, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 61, pp. 1567-1575.

Matthews, Ruth J., Carol Jogger, Ruth M. Harcock. 2006. Does Socio-Economic Advantage Lead to a Longer, Healthier Old Age?, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 62, pp. 2489-2499.

Merkin, Sharon Stein, Ana V. Deiz Roux, Josef Coresh, Linda F. Fried, Sharon A. Jackson and Niel R. Powe. 2007. Individual and Neighbourhood Socio-Economic Status and Progressive Chronic Kidney Disease In an Elderly population : The Cardiovascular Health Study, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 65, pp. 809-821.

Pal Sarmishta and Robert Placious. 2006. Old Age Poverty in Indian States: What do the Household Data Tell Us?

Petrelli, Alessio, Roberto Gnavi, Chiara Marinnacci and Givseppe Costa. 2006. Socioeconomic Inequalities in Coronary Heart Disease in Italy: A Multilevel Population –Based study, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 63, pp. 446-456.

Ravito, Nina, Eino Heikkinen and Shah Ebrahim. 2005. Socio-Economic Position and its Relationship to Physical Capacity Among Elderly People Living in Jyvaskyla, Finland: Five and Ten-Year Follow-up Studies, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 60, pp. 2405-2416.

Smith, James. P and Raynard Kington. 1997. Demographic and Economic Correlates of Health in Old Age. Demography, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 159-170.

WHO (World Health Organization). 2007. A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health. Discussion paper for the Commission on Social Determinants of Health.

Zimmer, Zachary, Napaporn Chayovan, Hui-Sheng Lin and Josefina Natividad. 2003. How Indicators of Socioeconomic Status Relate to Physical Functioning of Older Adults in Three Asian Societies, Policy Research Division Working Paper No. 172, Population Council.

Zimmer Zachary. 2006. Poverty, Wealth Inequality, and Health among Older Adults in Rural Cambodia. Policy Research Division Working Paper ISSN: 1554-8538, Population Council.