Poverty, noncommunicable diseases, and perceived health risks among older adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic in urban Thailand

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had negative impacts on vulnerable populations worldwide. This study aimed to examine the association between the health worries of urban older people in Thailand and covariates related to income and non‐income poverty, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and metabolic risk factors (MRFs). The study utilized the 2021 Survey on Housing and Support Services for Poor Older Adults, which sampled lower‐income urban adults aged at least 55 years from five national regions. Bivariate analyses were performed to determine the relationships of NCDs and MRFs with the covariates. Then, binary logistic regression was used to analyze outcomes of perceived health risks including becoming infected with COVID‐19, declining health status, and being unable to access health care. Higher educational attainment and income levels were observed to be negatively correlated with worse health status and the inability to access health care. Subjective household crowding consistently had a positive association with the three health concerns. Having MRFs was related only to concerns about health status and access to health care during the pandemic. Welfare and health policies need to improve their responsiveness to the needs of the older population, especially for protection from socioeconomic shocks such as those seen with the current pandemic.

Health Risk, Income Effect, and the Stability of Farmers’ Poverty Alleviation in Deep Poverty Areas: A Case Study of S-County in Qinba Mountain Area

“…The farmers who suffer from health risk impact in deep poverty areas are more likely to be poor than those who do not suffer from the health risk. The findings are consistent with the work of Chen and Cao [ 58 ] in the context of the Chinese economy and Pothisiri, Vicerra [ 59 ] in Thailand. To avoid problematic parameter estimates of standard errors, this study re-requested the estimation of bootstrapped standard errors, and the results did not differ from model 1.…”

Health-Promoting Behaviors among Older Adults with Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural and Urban Areas during the New Normal Post-COVID-19 Era: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

“…During the new normal of the COVID-19 era, lifestyle and health behaviors changed due to pandemic control measures, significantly affecting older adults with NCDs, particularly people living in poverty [ 42 ]. However, health behaviors and disparities in access to healthcare need to be addressed to improve HPBs among all older adults with NCDs [ 15 ].…”

“…A global survey by the World Health Organization revealed that health treatments and prevention services for people with NCDs were significantly reduced or discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic [ 14 ]. A sustained and prolonged epidemic may affect HPBs, thereby diminishing the efficacy of COVID-19 controls and making it more difficult to maintain the lifestyles and well-being of older adults with NCDs [ 15 , 16 ]. These factors related to recent events have led to older adults becoming more aware of individual and public health.…”

Perceived Risks and Social, Economic, and Health Changes Among Older People in Thailand During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Economic changes during the pandemic were prevalent among general adults and older people (10). It was found that stress and worry increased among Italians because adults had to continue working despite the pandemic (20).…”

“…This duration refers to the implementation of national lockdown measures in Thailand. Noting that the perceived risk status during the pandemic has been defined and operationalized differently based on societal factors and age groups (7,8), the set of measures for this study was evaluated for appropriateness, and it was consequently deemed suitable for older people in Thailand (10,11).…”