Bashiru II Saeed
Background: Healthcare is a great predictor of increased longevity and well-being but there is paucity of data on the prevalence of and socioeconomic differences in care need among the aged in low- to middle- income countries including Ghana.
Objective: The goal of this study is to provide timely research based knowledge of the socioeconomic differences in the prevalence of care need among older persons in Ghana which will be crucial in guiding the implementation of the 2010 National Aging Policy (Ghana National Ageing Policy, 2010).
Method: The World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) conducted in 2007-2008 among older adult Ghanaians included sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors and measures of health care needed by these older persons. This study considered 2313 (51.9%) men and 2141 (48.1%) women. Analyses of the association of care need with predisposing and enabling factors was by binary logistic regression analysis, using odds ratios (OR) and the respective 95% confidence intervals.
Results: This study showed sex differentials in care need among older persons. Older women were more affected by socioeconomic difference in care need. Older persons with lower education had a high prevalence of care need (for both men and women). Self-employed older persons were the highest in terms of care need and those with moderate, little or no money for daily living showed high rates of care need compared to those who had enough money.
Conclusion: Implementation of the 2010 national aging policy should address these gender disparities and socioeconomic differences in care need among older persons in Ghana.