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

Abstract

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.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-017-0577-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Frailty Indexed Classification of Bangladeshi Older Adults' Physio-psychosocial Health and Associated Risk Factors: A Cross-sectional Survey Study

“…Gender, isolation and functional status are identi ed as risk factors for predicting the older adults' frailty [20]. This study's ndings agree on previous studies in reporting that female older adults are generally reluctant about their health complexities and they do not take proper initiatives for health check-ups [21][22][23][24]. There is a considerable inconsistency in the research outcomes that the older adults live without partner are more inclined to medical conditions [25][26][27].…”

Cross-sectional Survey to Assess Prevalence of Disability and Access to Services in Albay Province, The Philippines

“…Early detection and treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases can help to prevent disabilities among the elderly (Richards et al, 2016). The higher prevalence of disabilities among the elderly underscores the need to prioritize older adults in reducing disability (Tareque et al, 2017).…”

“…Fewer employment opportunities and migration of ablebodied adults to urban areas for work (Reichert, Myers, 2014;Marella et al, 2016), would contribute to this finding. The higher rate of disability in rural areas might also be due to poorer living conditions, less education, poverty, fewer health care services and facilities (Tareque et al, 2017).…”

Condiciones de salud y factores relacionados con discapacidad en adultos mayores -Una reflexión para la atención-

“…Sin embargo, tanto los hombres como las mujeres que sufrían de una condición crónica estaban en peor situación, en términos de discapacidad funcional y de autocuidado, que aquellos que estaban libres de cualquier condición crónica. Adicionalmente, las probabilidades de tener discapacidad de autocuidado aumentaron en la medida en que la edad era más avanzada (19) . De manera similar se presentan los resultados en investigaciones de género, pues los participantes con roles femeninos de género tenían prevalencias de discapacidad de movilidad más altas, en comparación con los que presentaban roles andróginos (20) .…”

“…autocuidado aumentaron en las mujeres AM de familias adineradas, que para las mujeres de familias pobres; tanto las hombres y mujeres de las zonas rurales, tenían mayores índices de discapacidad de autocuidado que sus contrapartes de las áreas urbanas (19) . Los factores independientes asociados con la discapacidad de la movilidad fueron ser mujer, soltera, tener menor educación, ingreso insuficiente y la ubicación donde se realizó el estudio (20) .…”