Self-reported activities of daily living, health and quality of life among older adults in South Africa and Uganda: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Background Difficulties in performing the activities of daily living (ADL) are common among middle-aged and older adults. Inability to perform the basic tasks as well as increased healthcare expenditure and dependence on care can have debilitating effects on health and quality of life. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported difficulty in activities of daily living (ADL), health and quality of life among community-dwelling, older population in South Africa and Uganda. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data on 1495 men and women from South Africa (n = 514) and Uganda (n = 981) which were extracted from the SAGE Well-Being of Older People Study (WOPS 2011–13). Outcome variables were self-reported health and quality of life (QoL). Difficulty in ADL was assessed by self-reported answers on 12 different questions covering various physical and cognitive aspects. The association between self-reported health and quality of life with ADL difficulties was calculated by using multivariable logistic regression models. Results Overall percentage of good health and good quality of life was 40.4% and 20%, respectively. The percentage of respondents who had 1–3, 3–6, > 6 ADL difficulties were 42.4%7, 30.97% and 14.85%, respectively. In South Africa, having > 6 ADL difficulties was associated with lower odds of good health among men [Odds ratio = 0.331, 95%CI = 0.245,0.448] and quality of life among men [Odds ratio = 0.609, 95%CI = 0.424,0.874] and women [Odds ratio = 0.129, 95%CI = 0.0697,0.240]. In Uganda, having > 6 ADL difficulties was associated lower odds of good health [Odds ratio = 0.364, 95%CI = 0.159,0.835] and quality of life [Odds ratio = 0.584, 95%CI = 0.357,0.954]. Conclusion This study concludes that difficulty in ADL has a significant negative association with health and quality of life among community-dwelling older population (> 50 years) in South Africa and Uganda. The sex differences support previous findings on differential health outcomes among men and women, and underline the importance of designing sex-specific health intervention programs.

Quality of life of older adults and associated factors in Ghanaian urban slums: a cross-sectional study

“…Married participants had higher means in all domains compared with all the other categories, especially the single participants. This confirms findings of studies by Lee et al 60 and Yaya et al 57. Except for the physical health domain, higher educational level could be equated to better QoL in the other domains, similar to the findings by Ejiakor et al 61…”

“…The QoL of participants generally decreased with age, similar to previous studies 8 21 26 56–58. This could be attributed to the gradual degeneration and weakness of the human body as individuals age.…”

“…This confirms findings of studies by Lee et al 60 and Yaya et al . 57 Except for the physical health domain, higher educational level could be equated to better QoL in the other domains, similar to the findings by Ejiakor et al . 61…”

“…Married participants had higher means in all domains compared with all the other categories, especially the single participants. This confirms findings of studies by Lee et al 60 and Yaya et al 57 Except for the physical health domain, higher educational level could be equated to better QoL in the other domains, similar to the findings by Ejiakor et al 61 Comparing the two slums, older adults in Ashaiman showed better QoL in the perceived overall QoL and the psychological and environmental domains. This could be attributed to the proximity of Ashaiman to the industrial city and therefore inhabitants could more easily get access to the resources the non-slum dwellers in the industrial city enjoy.…”

Impairment in Activities of Daily Living and Unmet Need for Care Among Older Adults: A Population-Based Study From Burkina Faso

“…The amount of research about functional health of older people from other SSA countries such as South Africa ( Payne, Gómez-Olivé et al, 2017 ; Payne, Wade et al, 2017 ), Tanzania ( Lewis et al, 2018 ), Nigeria ( Ojagbemi et al, 2017 ), and Uganda ( Yaya et al, 2020 ) is slowly increasing, but the majority of evidence still comes from high-income countries (HICs), where population aging is an established field of research. The very different socioeconomic, health, and cultural milieu present in Burkina Faso means that it cannot be assumed that similar patterns of either self-reported functional health impairment or care need will be present as is found in HICs or other SSA countries.…”