Health and Health Perceptions Among Kenyan Grandparents

Abstract

The dramatic increase in the aging population in developed countries has led to an explosion of research on health and aging in the United States. Few studies, however, have been conducted in developing countries, even though many of these populations are experiencing a faster rate of growth in the 65+ population. Thus, although our knowledge of health and aging has increased, our knowledge of the variation in health as people age is limited. While the numbers of older adults is increasing in Africa, very little is known about the health and well-being of African elders. Recently, a growing number of researchers have focused on the plight of elders who find themselves caring for orphaned grandchildren. While several anecdotal reports have suggested that this new burden negatively impacts their health, there are few studies that systematically examine the health of African elders. As part of the Kenyan Grandparents Study, the health of 287 grandparents (age 73 +/- 8) was examined using multiple methods including objective measures, clinical history, physical examination, and a modified version of the SF-36. Although all health variables were correlated with each other, different patterns were found between predictor variables and the various measures of health. Caregiving status was only associated with mental health, with caregivers having better mental health than non-caregivers. Age was associated with poorer health as measured by several SF-36 scales, physical exam, and body mass index (BMI). Women generally had a greater number of health complaints and lower quality of life as measured by the SF-36. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with better health as measured by physical exam, clinical history, SF-36, and BMI. Caring for a greater number of orphans was associated with better health on examination but no other measure of health. More social support was associated with better physical function and general health as measured by the SF-36. These data suggest that there is no strong evidence that caregiving results in poor health.

The Impact of Caregiving on the Health and Well-being of Kenyan Luo Grandparents

“…It was hypothesized at that time that food alloca tion was biased toward men and that women had higher energy expenditure due to increased caregiving activities, resulting in a negative energy balance among grandmothers. A larger study conducted in 2005 found little impact of caregiving on health or nutrition and the reverse effect of gender on nutri tion (Ice, Zidron, and Juma 2008). The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of caregiving on health using longitudinal data.…”

Older adult caregivers to people with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of literature and policy implications for change

“…The physical needs depending on the stage of the patient include bathing, searching for food, cooking, and feeding the sick, dressing, lifting the sick to the toilet, fetching water, and gardening; whereas nursing care includes pain management, treating wounds, administering medications, and walking long distances to health facilities (Akintola 2006, UNAIDS 1997. However, a study by Ice et al (2008) on a small sample of Luo grandparents found no difference on the health of elderly caregivers of AIDS orphans and PLWHA compared with non-caregivers. The use of a small sample and only in one community limited the generalizations of the findings, hence the need for more studies in different communities and with larger samples.…”

“…Research on older people in Africa is scarce and the few studies done cover only a few countries without taking into consideration the wide diversity of communities on the continent of Africa or use smaller samples which make it difficult to generalize findings (Bock and Johnson 2008, Ice et al 2008, Makoni 2008, Kiggundu and Oldewage-Theron 2009, Kyobutungi et al 2009, Lombard and Kruger 2009, Muga and Onyango-Ouma 2009). …”

“…Njororai some contributions to a national pension plan come to distressing realization that retirement benefits are not forthcoming due to poor management systems, government mismanagement, or spending (National Research Council 2006). Older adult people in many African countries are a vulnerable population as a result of a lifetime of hardship, poverty, and, in old age, high susceptibility to chronic diseases and more recently the impact of HIV/AIDS pandemic (Nyambedha et al 2003, Zimmer and Dayton 2005, Ssengonzi 2007, Ice et al 2008, UNAIDS 2008a, Kautz et al 2010. For example, they may have lived out a greater part of their lives in hardship and poverty caring for their own unemployed adult children, grandchildren, and/ or other relatives.…”

“…Little is known or researched about how trends in socioeconomic conditions, changing cultural norms and values, changing values of formal and informal social support, ongoing poor health conditions all increasingly compounded with the HIV/ AIDS epidemic are combining to affect the well-being of elderly people in SSA (National Research Council 2006, Ice et al 2008, Kyobutungi et al 2009, Ssengonzi 2009, Kautz et al 2010. Although aging is a universal process, the dynamics and outcomes are context-specific making generalizations difficult; therefore, research is needed within frameworks that take situational relevance into consideration to delineate a full range of factors and impacts these changes have on the well-being of older people (Makoni 2008).…”