Abstract
Aim
Population ageing is emerging as a major demographic issue for India with wide socio-economic implications. This study examines the self-rated health status of the elderly and its correlates in India.
Subject and methods
Data from the ‘Building a Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India (BKPAI)’ survey conducted in seven Indian states in 2011 was used for analysis (n = 9852). Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the effect of covariates on self-rated health.
Results
Fifty-five percent of the elderly self-rated their health as poor. Age, education, marital status, religion, occupation, chronic diseases, functional status, and routine medical check-ups were significant correlates of self-rated poor health. The elderly with three or more chronic diseases were four times more likely to rate their health as poor than those without any chronic diseases. Those who faced more difficulties in daily living were more likely to rate their health as poor than those who faced fewer problems. The elderly who went for routine medical check-ups were more likely to assess themselves as having poor health than those who did not.
Conclusion
This study found a sizeable number of elderly with self-rated poor health along with extensive disparity by socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Chronic disease, functional limitations and routine medical check-ups were strong predictors of self-rated health. Given the higher proportion of poor self-rated health among the elderly, and the increasing size of the ageing population in India, this study indicates the need to strengthen health care services and social security programs for the elderly.
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Availability of data and materials
The dataset used in this study is available in the public domain at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), India website.
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SK contributed to planning the study, carried out the statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript. MRP reviewed the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Kumar, S., Pradhan, M.R. Self-rated health status and its correlates among the elderly in India. J Public Health (Berl.) 27, 291–299 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0960-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0960-2