Centre for Social Capital and Environmental Research, Ottawa, Canada.
The George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
BMC Geriatr. 2024 Nov 6;24(1):915. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05416-0.
As South Africa's population rapidly ages, the burden of non-communicable diseases and the challenges of performing daily care activities among older individuals are increasing. This study investigates trends in self-reported difficulties with daily care activities among older adults in South Africa and examines the association between these difficulties, sociodemographic factors, and chronic conditions.
The study used cross-sectional data from ten rounds of South Africa General Household Survey (2012-2021). Sample population included 26,362 men and 42,400 women aged 60 years and above. The outcome measure was assessed by self-reported difficulty in performing basic care activities such as washing or dressing.
Between 2012 and 2021, the percentage of participants reporting "A lot of difficulty" increased by 79.75%, "Some difficulty" increased by 112.11%, while "Unable to do" decreased by 8.97%. The risk of self-care difficulties was higher for men (RR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.20) and increased with age: RR = 1.24 (95% CI = 1.08, 1.42) for ages 65-69; RR = 2.27 (95% CI = 2.00, 2.58) for ages 70-74; and RR = 5.65 (95% CI = 5.08, 6.28) for ages 75+. Not being currently married (RR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.51, 1.79), being of African/Black (RR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.38) or Coloured race (RR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.21, 1.65), and having diabetes (RR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.34, 1.55), hypertension (RR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.26, 1.45), or asthma (RR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.14, 1.48) were also associated with a higher risk of self-care difficulties.
There was a notable increase in the proportion of participants reporting significant difficulty and some difficulty in performing self-care tasks, while a decrease was observed in the category of participants unable to do such tasks. Health policies should prioritize the specific needs of vulnerable sociodemographic and health groups, considering their increased risk of self-care difficulties.
随着南非人口的迅速老龄化，非传染性疾病的负担以及老年人日常护理活动的挑战都在增加。本研究旨在调查南非老年人自我报告的日常护理活动困难的趋势，并探讨这些困难与社会人口因素和慢性疾病之间的关系。
本研究使用了南非一般家庭调查（2012-2021 年）的十年横截面数据。样本包括 26362 名男性和 42400 名 60 岁及以上的女性。通过自我报告评估基本护理活动（如洗漱或穿衣）的困难程度。
2012 年至 2021 年间，报告“非常困难”的参与者比例增加了 79.75%，报告“有些困难”的参与者比例增加了 112.11%，而报告“无法完成”的参与者比例下降了 8.97%。男性（RR=1.11，95%CI=1.02，1.20）和年龄（RR=1.24，95%CI=1.08，1.42）与自我护理困难的风险更高：RR=2.27（95%CI=2.00，2.58）在 70-74 岁；RR=5.65（95%CI=5.08，6.28）在 75 岁及以上。目前未婚（RR=1.65，95%CI=1.51，1.79）、非裔/黑人（RR=1.21，95%CI=1.06，1.38）或有色人种（RR=1.41，95%CI=1.21，1.65）、患有糖尿病（RR=1.44，95%CI=1.34，1.55）、高血压（RR=1.35，95%CI=1.26，1.45）或哮喘（RR=1.30，95%CI=1.14，1.48）的参与者也存在更高的自我护理困难风险。
报告存在明显困难和有些困难的参与者比例显著增加，而无法完成此类任务的参与者比例则有所下降。卫生政策应优先考虑弱势群体的特殊需求，考虑到他们面临更高的自我护理困难风险。
