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Age identity, self-rated health, and life satisfaction among older adults in Dakar, Senegal

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Abstract

The objectives of this quantitative study were to (1) ascertain to what extent older adults aged 50 and above feel and desire to be younger than their age, and classify themselves as young versus old; (2) compare these patterns with those found among other cross-cultural populations; and (3) assess the extent to which self-rated health and life satisfaction predict age identities. This study was carried out on a sample of 500 dwellers of the Senegalese capital aged 50 and older. This sample was constructed using the quota method to strive for representativeness. Most of the respondents wanted to be younger than their chronological age (51.8 %), but only 27.8 % felt younger than they were. Moreover, 80 % of the sample claimed to be old. Self-rated health predicted felt age and the feeling of being old. Furthermore, the less-satisfied Dakar residents were with their life, the younger they wanted to be. We first discuss our results in a comparative perspective focused on how orientations toward individualism and collectivism could be related to age identity, and on demographic characteristics of the Senegalese population—where life expectancy is 59.3 years old. We then analyze the relevance of age identity dimensions as indicators of successful aging in Dakar.

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Notes

  1. For example, the individualism versus collectivism (IDV) dimension if of the 25 in Senegal (compared to 91 in the USA; http://geert-hofstede.com/senegal.html).

  2. The term habitus comes from the study of Marcel Mauss (1936). Habitus could be simply defined as the lifestyle habits of the individuals, mostly dependent on the social class in which they evolve (Bourdieu 1980). In this paradigm, hexis is the active and behavioral expression of the habitus.

  3. In Senegalese administrative zoning, Dakar is both a region and a department. Dakar’s region includes four departments: Pikine, Guediawaye, Rufisque, and Dakar. In general, Pikine, Guediawaye, and Rufisque are referred to as suburbs, whereas the department of Dakar is the “real” city.

  4. Maget means “to be old” and/or “older adult” in Wolof. It is the more conventional term to speak about old age and older adults.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMI 3189 Environnement, santé, sociétés (CNRS/Université Cheikh Anta Diop/Université de Bamako/CNRST Burkina-Faso), 51, Bd. Pierre Dramard, Faculté de Médecine-Secteur Nord, 13344, Marseille Cedex 15, France

    Enguerran Macia, Priscilla Duboz & Lamine Gueye

  2. RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies, Lasell College, Newton, MA, USA

    Joann M. Montepare

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  1. Enguerran Macia
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  2. Priscilla Duboz
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  3. Joann M. Montepare
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  4. Lamine Gueye
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Correspondence to Enguerran Macia.

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Responsible Editor: H.-W. Wahl.

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Macia, E., Duboz, P., Montepare, J.M. et al. Age identity, self-rated health, and life satisfaction among older adults in Dakar, Senegal. Eur J Ageing 9, 243–253 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-012-0227-7

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