Health status and quality of life among older adults in rural Tanzania

Abstract

BackgroundIncreasingly, human populations throughout the world are living longer and this trend is developing in sub-Saharan Africa. In developing African countries such as Tanzania, this demographic phenomenon is taking place against a background of poverty and poor health conditions. There has been limited research on how this process of ageing impacts upon the health of older people within such low-income settings.ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to describe the impacts of ageing on the health status, quality of life and well-being of older people in a rural population of Tanzania.Design A short version of the WHO Survey on Adult Health and Global Ageing questionnaire was used to collect information on the health status, quality of life and well-being of older adults living in Ifakara Health and Demographic Surveillance System, Tanzania, during early 2007. Questionnaires were administered through this framework to 8,206 people aged 50 and over.ResultsAmong people aged 50 and over, having good quality of life and health status was significantly associated with being male, married and not being among the oldest old. Functional ability assessment was associated with age, with people reporting more difficulty in performing routine activities as age increased, particularly among women. Reports of good quality of life and well-being decreased with increasing age. Women were significantly more likely to report poor quality of life (odds ratio 1.31; p<0.001, 95% CI 1.15–1.50).ConclusionsOlder people within this rural Tanzanian setting reported that the ageing process had significant impacts on their health status, quality of life and physical ability. Poor quality of life and well-being, and poor health status in older people were significantly associated with marital status, sex, age and level of education. The process of ageing in this setting is challenging and raises public health concerns.

The association between disability and cognitive impairment in an elderly Tanzanian population

“…WHODAS scores in people without dementia or MCI from the background population were similar to those of people aged 70 years and over in the Ifakara region of Tanzania (mean = 27.6) and lower than those reported from rural northern Ghana (mean 39.3) for this age group [18,20]. Comparison between studies is hampered by demographic, cultural and lifestyle factors and different methodologies used.…”

Coincidence of low social support and high depressive score on quality of life in elderly

“…Similar studies also report that the quality of life in the elderly decreased with increasing age [3,[26][27][28][29]. Certain periods of life form the basis of the differences in quality of life.…”

“…In numerous studies on the elderly, it was reported that being a woman accompanied low quality of life [26,27,29]. The low quality of life of women is an expected case just like it is for susceptibility to depression due to factors such as socio-cultural structure, the role of women in society, the role of women defined by society, their position in female-male relations as well as the changes in physiology and hormonal nature specific to women.…”

Understanding and Advancing the Health of Older Populations in sub-Saharan Africa: Policy Perspectives and Evidence Needs

“…[34][35][36][37][38][39][40] (ii) Health and functional impairments may significantly impact on older persons' quality of life. 41,42 (iii) Within the older population, levels of ill-health and impaired function clearly vary between sociodemographic (e.g., gender, rural/urban, socioeconomic) groups.…”

“…41,42 (iii) Within the older population, levels of ill-health and impaired function clearly vary between sociodemographic (e.g., gender, rural/urban, socioeconomic) groups. 28,29,34,[37][38][39][40] Evidence suggests a consistently higher risk of disability, depression, dementia as well as self-reported poor health and function among older women compared to men. Findings on relationships of rural/urban and socioeconomic status to health outcomes, however, are less clear.…”