Every fourth senior citizen in India rates health as poor: LASI

Why in News?
The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has released the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) Wave-1 Report.

Facts:

 About LASI:

• About the study: It is a full-scale national survey of scientific investigation. It investigates the health, economic and social determinants and consequences of the ageing population in India. It was commissioned in 2016.
• Conducted by: The National Programme for Health Care of Elderly, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It undertakes the Study through International Institute for Population Sciences(IIPS), Mumbai in collaboration with Harvard School of Public Health, University of Southern California, USA, United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA) and National Institute on Ageing.

Key Findings:

Self Rated Health:

• Every fourth Indian above the age of 60 and every fifth Indian above the age of 45, reported poor health.
• The prevalence of poor self-reported health (SRH) in those above 60 (24%) is twice than in the 45-59 age group.
• Among these age groups, a higher percentage of women and individuals from rural areas reported poor health.

Disabilities among ageing Population:

• About 8% of Indians aged 45 years and above, reported having at least one form of impairment. The prevalence is almost twice among senior citizens(10.5%) than those between 45 years and 59 years.
• A high percentage of senior citizens in rural areas had a physical or mental impairment than their urban counterparts.
• The major disabilities reported are locomotive impairments (five per cent), followed by visual (three per cent), mental (two per cent), hearing (two per cent) and speech impairments (one per cent).
• Karnataka and Dadra & Nagar Haveli have the highest proportions of senior citizens with disabilities. Meghalaya, Lakshadweep, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh reported the least.

Additional Facts:

• According to the Elderly in India: Profile and Programmes, 2016, senior citizens comprised 21% of Indians with some form of disability.
  • Disability: It is an umbrella term for impairments and physical limitations hindering the smooth activity and participation in daily social life.
• A decade of Healthy Ageing: The United Nations has declared 2021-2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing”. It called upon governments, civil society, international agencies, and others to come together to improve the lives of older people in their families and the communities in which they live.

Source: Down To Earth