Physical Health of the Elderly and Associated Factors in Rural Niger

Amani Hachimou, Groupe de Recherche et d’Action pour le Développement (GRADE AFRICA)
Nouroudine Aboubacar Chaibou, Groupe de Recherche et d'Action pour le Développement (GRADE Africa)

Elderly health problems have many implications for public health programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is little evidence on the health of the elderly, particularly those residing in rural areas. This paper aimed to identify factors associated with the physical health of older persons in rural Niger. The data used are from the National Harmonized Survey on Living Conditions of Households (EHCVM-2020) conducted by the National Institute of Statistics of Niger. Based on the United Nations (UN) definition of the elderly, a sample of people aged 60 and over was considered for the analyses. According to the logistic regression results, the risks of self-reported poor physical health are more prevalent among the following older persons: those residing in the regions of Maradi, Tahoua and Agadez, very older persons (80+ years), women; those who do not carry out any economic activity; those not controlling their household income, those from large households and female-headed households. The high prevalence of physical morbidity observed suggests that there is an urgent need to develop geriatric care services in developing countries like Niger. There is an immediate need to improve financial incentives for the elderly, given the health and social security challenges they face in Niger.

Keywords: Population Ageing, Population and Development, Population Policies, Health and Morbidity

See paper.