Unravelling the Influence of Early Life Risk Factors on Functional Limitations among Older Adults in India: Evidence from Lasi Wave-1

Anil Pal, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
Sarika Rai, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Abhishek Gupta, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The study explores how early life risk factors, like education, poor health and financial status, affect the likelihood of developing multiple functional limitations later in life. LASI wave-1 data used for this study. We used descriptive analysis and multinomial logistic regression. The results show that ADL and IADL issues significantly increase with age. Females were significantly more likely to have ADL limitations compared with no ADL limitations. Older person with multiple chronic conditions is more likely to have difficulties with one or more activities of daily living (ADL). The risk of having two or more IADL difficulties is 6.7 times higher for individuals aged 75-and-above compared to those aged 45- to 54-year-old. Those who had fair health during childhood are 1.3 times more likely to have one IADL difficulty compared to those who had good health during childhood. There was a significantly higher rate of ADL and IADL problems in the following groups: women, lonely, lower income, lower levels of physical activity, those who did not maintain social contacts, and individuals with a higher rate of chronic diseases. Special focus is needed on this group to improve the quality of life focusing on involving their social network and reducing their need for help with ADL or IADL.

Keywords: Population Ageing, Mortality and Longevity, Health and Morbidity

See paper.