Impact of Lacking Basic Goods on Health in Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Daniëlle AI Groffen, Hans Bosma, Marjan van den Akker, Gertrudis IJM Kempen, Jacques TM van Eijk
Primary Institution: Maastricht University
Hypothesis
Does the lack of basic and luxury goods affect health-related dysfunction in older persons independently of traditional socioeconomic indicators?
Conclusion
The lack of basic goods is strongly related to health-related dysfunction in older adults, while luxury goods do not show a significant impact.
Supporting Evidence
- The lack of basic goods was associated with a higher risk of both physical and mental dysfunction.
- Older adults without basic goods reported more severe diseases.
- Possession of basic goods was a better predictor of health-related dysfunction than traditional socioeconomic indicators.
Takeaway
If older people don't have basic things like a refrigerator or a car, they might feel sick or sad, but having fancy things like a big TV doesn't really help their health.
Methodology
The study used cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the SMILE study, analyzing the relationship between the possession of basic and luxury goods and health-related dysfunction using logistic regression.
Potential Biases
Self-reports may introduce measurement error, and individuals may underreport their lack of goods due to shame.
Limitations
The study may have selection biases as it did not include older persons in nursing homes and relied on self-reported data.
Participant Demographics
Participants were 2067 men and women aged 55 years and older, with a mean age of 67.6 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 1.00–5.38 for physical dysfunction; 95% CI: 1.01–4.73 for mental dysfunction
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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