Exploring the intersectionality of place and gender among older adults in Ghana: An examination of women’s disability disadvantage

IF 4.9 3区医学 Q1 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

Innovation in Aging Pub Date : 2023-12-19 DOI:10.1093/geroni/igad134

Shane D Burns, Latrica E. Best, Solomon Amoatey

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Ghana’s older adult population is growing rapidly and projected to double by 2050. It is well-documented that social, health, and housing factors influence segmented aging trajectories that lead to disparate rates of disability. However, little is known how the intersection of place (i.e., urban; rural) and gender (i.e., woman; man) inform rates of disability among older Ghanaians. We seek to examine this gap in the literature through an intersectional approach. Using logistic regression with Wave 1 (2007/08) data from the World Health Organization’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana, we investigate the prevalence of reporting activities of daily living (ADL) disability among respondents ages 50+ (n=4,106). To document gender differences by place, we compute separate adjusted odds ratio models among urban and rural respondents. We also control for health, social, and housing factors that might explain gender differences. Compared to urban men, urban women’s ADL disability disadvantage was explained by marital status, particularly widowhood. In contrast, rural women consistently reported an ADL disability disadvantage when compared to rural men. Additionally, we found that the morbidity profiles of those who reported ADL disability differed by place and that certain ADL difficulties (i.e., bed transferring; toileting) were especially common among women respondents. Women, regardless of urban or rural residence, were especially vulnerable to ADL disability. Marital status, particularly widows, explained the difference in disability risk between urban men and urban women. This finding suggests that urban women’s risk of ADL disability is attenuated during partnership. Also, we speculate that varied morbidity associations with ADL disability are due to different stressors in urban versus rural environments. These findings also generate further interest about rural women’s disability disadvantage.

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探索加纳老年人中地方与性别的交叉性：审查妇女在残疾方面的不利处境

加纳的老年人口增长迅速，预计到 2050 年将翻一番。社会、健康和住房因素影响着不同的老龄化轨迹，导致不同的残疾率，这一点已得到充分证明。然而，人们对地点（即城市；农村）和性别（即女性；男性）的交叉如何影响加纳老年人的残疾率却知之甚少。我们试图通过交叉方法来研究文献中的这一空白。我们利用世界卫生组织 "全球老龄化与成人健康研究"（SAGE）加纳第 1 波（2007/08 年）数据进行逻辑回归，调查了 50 岁以上受访者（n=4106）中报告日常生活活动（ADL）残疾的普遍程度。为了记录不同地区的性别差异，我们分别计算了城市和农村受访者的调整后几率模型。我们还控制了可能解释性别差异的健康、社会和住房因素。与城市男性相比，城市女性的 ADL 残疾劣势是由婚姻状况（尤其是丧偶）造成的。与此相反，与农村男性相比，农村女性在日常生活自理能力方面一直处于劣势。此外，我们还发现，报告日常活动能力残疾的受访者的发病情况因地而异，某些日常活动能力障碍（如转床、如厕）在女性受访者中尤为常见。无论居住在城市还是农村，妇女都特别容易出现日常活动能力障碍。婚姻状况，尤其是寡妇，解释了城市男性和城市女性在残疾风险上的差异。这一结果表明，城市女性在伴侣关系存续期间，ADL 残疾的风险有所降低。此外，我们还推测，ADL 残疾与不同发病率之间的关联是由于城市和农村环境中的压力因素不同造成的。这些发现也引起了人们对农村妇女残疾劣势的进一步关注。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Innovation in Aging GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY-

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

15 weeks

期刊介绍： Innovation in Aging, an interdisciplinary Open Access journal of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), is dedicated to publishing innovative, conceptually robust, and methodologically rigorous research focused on aging and the life course. The journal aims to present studies with the potential to significantly enhance the health, functionality, and overall well-being of older adults by translating scientific insights into practical applications. Research published in the journal spans a variety of settings, including community, clinical, and laboratory contexts, with a clear emphasis on issues that are directly pertinent to aging and the dynamics of life over time. The content of the journal mirrors the diverse research interests of GSA members and encompasses a range of study types. These include the validation of new conceptual or theoretical models, assessments of factors impacting the health and well-being of older adults, evaluations of interventions and policies, the implementation of groundbreaking research methodologies, interdisciplinary research that adapts concepts and methods from other fields to aging studies, and the use of modeling and simulations to understand factors and processes influencing aging outcomes. The journal welcomes contributions from scholars across various disciplines, such as technology, engineering, architecture, economics, business, law, political science, public policy, education, public health, social and psychological sciences, biomedical and health sciences, and the humanities and arts, reflecting a holistic approach to advancing knowledge in gerontology.