Gender differences in functional disability and self-care among seniors in Bangladesh

BMC Geriatrics

Research Article

Towfiqua Mahfuza Islam¹  Md. Ismail Tareque²  Sharifa Begum³  Andrew D. Tiedt⁴  Yasuhiko Saito⁵ 

[1] Bangladesh Initiative for Sustainable Future (BiSF), Dhaka, Bangladesh;Department of Population Science and Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh;Population Studies Division, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Dhaka, Bangladesh;United States Department of Justice, Washington DC, USA;University Research Center and School of Medicine, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan;Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore;

关键词: Disability;    Old age;    Gender disparities;    Low income country;    Bangladesh;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12877-017-0577-2

 received in 2017-01-09, accepted in 2017-08-02,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDisability among older adults is a public health concern. To date there are no in-depth and comprehensive analyses on older adults’ disabilities in Bangladesh. This study investigated gender differences in the prevalence of disability and the socio-demographic factors associated with disability among older adults in Bangladesh.MethodsThis research used a sample of 4176 elderly males and females aged 60 years and over from a nationally representative data set- Bangladesh’s 2010 Household Income and Expenditure Survey. The study used both household level and individual level data and applied a wealth index, which was constructed based on household assets using principal component analysis. The Washington Group’s short set of questions on disability were used to measure disability. Chi-square tests and ordinal logistic regression models were fit.ResultsForty-two percent of older had some form of functional disability, including 5% of elderly with severe/extreme functional disability. Seven percent of older adults had a self-care disability, including 3% of elderly with a severe/extreme form of self-care disability. Elderly females suffered from all the studied disabilities, including functional and self-care disabilities in higher percentages, and had higher odds ratios of having both functional disability and self-care disability compared to elderly males. The study also identified some significant factors affecting functional disability and self-care disability, namely age, having a chronic condition, wealth status and place of residence, including divisional differences.ConclusionsPrograms aimed at reducing functional disability among seniors, particularly elderly females, should be granted the highest priority in Bangladesh.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017