Understanding ageing in sub-Saharan Africa: exploring the contributions of religious and secular social involvement to life satisfaction

ABSTRACTRapid urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa is believed to have weakened the traditional family ties which sustained older people in the past, but there is little empirical evidence about how older people today perceive their ageing experience in sub-Saharan Africa. The international gerontology literature demonstrates that, apart from financial wellbeing and health status, religious and secular forms of social involvement are key predictors of life satisfaction in older ages. No formal analysis, however, exists on the effects of religious and non-religious social involvement on the subjective wellbeing of older people in sub-Saharan nations. This study sought to fill this gap by examining the relationship between religious identity, religiosity, and secular social engagement using survey data from a sample of 2,524 men and women aged 50 or more years living in informal settlements of Nairobi City. We found significant differences in life satisfaction between Moslems, Catholics and non-Catholic Christians. Secular social support, personal sociability and community participation had positive effects on subjective wellbeing. In this context, we also observed that next to health status, the social involvement of older people was very important for life satisfaction.

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Features of Rural Communities in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa That Influence Well-Being of Older Persons

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1622 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 420-421

Author(s):

Andrew Banda ◽

Norah Keating ◽

Jaco Hoffman ◽

Jose Parodi ◽

Nereide Curreri

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Latin America ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Older People ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Older Persons ◽

Subjective Wellbeing ◽

Well Being ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract In their recent volume, Critical Rural Gerontology, Skinner et al (2021) challenge us to set aside unidimensional notions of rural communities as bypassed vs very supportive; and to identify the elements of rurality that empower or exclude older people and how these differ across cultures and settings. Covid-19 has highlighted the need for safe and inclusive communities. Given that LMIC will be home to the majority of older adults (Gonzales et al. 2015), we undertook a scoping review of features of rural communities that influence wellbeing of older people in countries across Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The review included literature in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, using search engines MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, PsycInfo, SocINDEX, SciELO, AJOL (Africa Journals Online), LILACS, Redalyc, LatinIndex and Clacso. Findings illustrate diversity in how community features including remoteness, infrastructure and belonging influence material, social and subjective wellbeing of older residents.

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Parental investment in child health in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-national study of health-seeking behaviour

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.150460 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 150460 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Caroline Uggla ◽

Ruth Mace

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Child Health ◽

Birth Order ◽

Parental Investment ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Health Seeking Behaviour ◽

Health Seeking ◽

Investment Theory ◽

Parental Investment Theory ◽

Sub Saharan

Parents face trade-offs between investing in child health and other fitness enhancing activities. In humans, parental investment theory has mostly been examined through the analysis of differential child outcomes, with less emphasis on the actions parents take to further a particular offspring’s condition. Here, we make use of household data on health-seeking for children in a high mortality context where such behaviours are crucial for offspring survival. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 17 sub-Saharan African countries, we examine whether maternal factors (age, health, marital status) and child factors (birth order, health, sex, age) independently influence parental investment in health-seeking behaviours: two preventative behaviours (malaria net use and immunization) and two curative ones (treating fever and diarrhoea). Results indicate that children with lower birth order, older mothers and mothers with better health status have higher odds of investment. The effects of a child’s sex and health status and whether the mother is polygynously married vary depending on the type of health-seeking behaviour (preventative versus curative). We discuss how these results square with predictions from parental investment theory pertaining to the state of mothers and children, and reflect on some potential mechanisms and directions for future research.

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“They Do Not Care about Us Anymore”: Understanding the Situation of Older People in Ghana

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052337 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2337

Author(s):

Joseph Asumah Braimah ◽

Mark W. Rosenberg

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Poor Access ◽

Access To Water ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Sharing Circles

While existing research acknowledges copious challenges faced by older adults (people aged 60 and over) in Ghana and most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, they fail to situate the lived experiences of this vulnerable group within the broader context of health geography and public health. This paper draws insights from ecological systems theory and the “geographies of older people” literature to examine the lived experiences of older people in Ghana. Data for the study were gathered using interviews (42) and sharing circles (10). Our findings reveal a complex mix of experiences consistent with the different levels of the environment. Dominant themes include access to social support, functional impairment and poor health status, social status, poor access to water and sanitation services, food insecurity, economic insecurity, and caregiving burden. These findings support the wide-held notion that the experiences of older people are complex and produced by the interplay of both individual and structural factors. Our findings demonstrate that sociocultural, economic, political, and climatic factors are important consideration in promoting elderly wellbeing and quality of life in Ghana.

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Human Capital Contribution to the Economic Growth of Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Health Status Matter? Evidence from Dynamic Panel Data

Challenges of Globalization and Prospects for an Inter-civilizational World Order ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-44058-9_38 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 713-724

Author(s):

Abel Kinyondo ◽

Mwoya Byaro

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Human Capital ◽

Health Status ◽

Panel Data ◽

Dynamic Panel Data ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Dynamic Panel ◽

Sub Saharan

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Social, Political, and Environmental Impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa

How China is Reshaping the Global Economy ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198738510.003.0008 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 183-219

Author(s):

Rhys Jenkins

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Working Conditions ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Systematic Research ◽

Political Issues ◽

Positive Effects ◽

The Social ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Ssa Countries

Some of the most controversial aspects of China’s economic presence in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) relate to the social, political, and environmental impacts. Many of the claims that are made are based on anecdotal evidence, and there is a need for more systematic research on these aspects. In terms of social impacts, the chapter discusses employment, wages, working conditions, and labour rights. Political issues addressed include claims that China’s involvement supports authoritarian regimes, encourages corruption, and leads to conflict and political instability. These claims are not generally supported, and SSA countries have benefitted from the increased policy space that Chinese involvement gives them. The environmental effects of both increased exports to China and the activities of Chinese firms in SSA are analyzed. Contrasting case studies illustrate the negative impacts of China on forestry, and the positive effects of Chinese support for wind and solar power.

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Subjective Happiness, Health and Quality of Life and Their Sociocultural Correlates among Younger Population in Malawi

Social Sciences ◽

10.3390/socsci8020055 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 55 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sanni Yaya ◽

Sharmistha Ghosh ◽

Bishwajit Ghose

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Wealth Quintile ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Psychosocial Needs ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Men And Women ◽

Regression Methods ◽

Sub Saharan

Public health research and policy in sub-Saharan Africa are generally disease-oriented, with the focus being largely confined within the biological determinants of health. So far, little attention has been given to developing a more health-oriented approach by emphasising the psychosocial dimensions of health, especially among the younger population. To this regard, we conducted the present study to assess the prevalence and sociocultural correlates of perceived happiness, health, and life satisfaction among the adolescent and young (15–24 years) population in Malawi. We analysed cross-sectional data on 12,610 men and women based on a Malawi multiple indicator cluster survey conducted in 2013–2014. Data were analysed using descriptive and multivariable regression methods. According to the findings, more than 80% of the men and women reported being satisfied about happiness, health, and life. Multivariate analysis showed an inverse relationship between being currently or formerly married and perceived happiness. Ethnic disparities in perceived health and happiness were more pronounced in men, whereas that of life satisfaction was more pronounced in women. Living in households of the highest wealth quintile was positively associated with health and life satisfaction, but not with happiness. These findings highlight the need for prioritising the psychosocial needs of the adolescent and youth populations in designing health and social policy in Malawi. The findings need to be interpreted in light of the factors specific to the sociocultural environment in Malawi.

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