The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania

By the end of 1999, an estimated 24.5 million Africans were living with HIV/AIDS, accounting for more that seventy percent of all global infections. In Tanzania, an estimated 1.3 million people (of a total population of 33 million) were believed to...

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Main Authors: Ainsworth, Martha, Dayton, Julia
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/07/1552025/impact-aids-epidemic-health-elderly-tanzania
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19588
id okr-10986-19588
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-195882021-04-23T14:03:43Z The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania Ainsworth, Martha Dayton, Julia ADULTS AGED AGING ARGUMENTS CANCER CENSUS CHILDBIRTH CHINESE COMMUNICABLE DISEASES COMMUNITIES COMMUNITY HEALTH CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE DEATHS DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION DEPRESSION DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH DIABETES DISTRICTS DWELLING DWELLINGS ECONOMETRIC MODEL ELDERLY EPIDEMIOLOGY EXPENDITURE DATA FAMILIES FOOD INTAKE FOOD PRICES GENDER GENERATIONS GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD HEALTH CARE HEALTH OUTCOMES HEALTH SERVICES HIV INFECTION HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HOUSEHOLD RESOURCES HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING IMMUNIZATION LEISURE LIVING STANDARDS LIVING STANDARDS SURVEY MARRIED WOMEN MEAN VALUE MILLION PEOPLE MORBIDITY MORTALITY MORTALITY RATE MORTALITY RATES NON-FOOD PRICES NON-POOR HOUSEHOLDS NUTRITION NUTRITIONAL STATUS PARENTS PATIENTS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY POLICY RESEARCH POWER PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC SERVICES PUBLIC TRANSFERS RURAL AREA RURAL AREAS RURAL HOUSEHOLDS RURAL WOMEN SAFETY SMOKING SPOUSES STANDARD ERRORS URBAN AREAS WIDOWERS WIDOWS By the end of 1999, an estimated 24.5 million Africans were living with HIV/AIDS, accounting for more that seventy percent of all global infections. In Tanzania, an estimated 1.3 million people (of a total population of 33 million) were believed to be infected with HIV, and 140,000 had already died of AIDS. One in every 12 adults is infected. African couples have large families, partly so there will be adult children to support parents in old age. Instead, because of the AIDS epidemic, the elderly are often caring for their infected children, or orphaned grandchildren. The authors use longitudinal household data from Tanzania's Kagera region, to measure the impact of prime-age adult mortality on the level, and changes in physical well-being (as measured by body mass index, or BMI) of the elderly. They find that the elderly in non-poor households have higher BMI. Non-poor households are more likely to have an adult death, and the elderly in these households are more likely to suffer declining BMI in the months before the death of a prime-age adult. The elderly in both poor, and non-poor households experience a significant drop in BMI after an adult death, but BMI recovers over time, and there is no long-run association with BMI levels, and recent adult deaths. The elderly hit hardest are those in households nor receiving private transfers. Private transfers received by other household members raise the BMI of the elderly, especially after a recent adult death. There is no evidence that nongovernmental organizations, or public assistance to the household affects short-run changes in BMI. The elderly who have more living children are physically better off, but short-run increases in the number of teenagers in the household are associated with declines in BMI. Improving the incomes, and assets of the poor is key to improving the overall BMI of the elderly. The elderly who have more assets (such as better quality dwellings) tend to have higher BMI. Controlling for individual, and household characteristics, the elderly in communities with roads that are navigable year-round, have substantially higher BMI. Prevention of communicable diseases is key to reducing short-run fluctuations in BMI - through preventing HIV, and community immunization programs that benefit the elderly. 2014-08-21T19:16:17Z 2014-08-21T19:16:17Z 2001-07 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/07/1552025/impact-aids-epidemic-health-elderly-tanzania http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19588 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2649 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa Tanzania
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic ADULTS
AGED
AGING
ARGUMENTS
CANCER
CENSUS
CHILDBIRTH
CHINESE
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
COMMUNITIES
COMMUNITY HEALTH
CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
DEATHS
DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION
DEPRESSION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
DIABETES
DISTRICTS
DWELLING
DWELLINGS
ECONOMETRIC MODEL
ELDERLY
EPIDEMIOLOGY
EXPENDITURE DATA
FAMILIES
FOOD INTAKE
FOOD PRICES
GENDER
GENERATIONS
GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES
HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD
HEALTH CARE
HEALTH OUTCOMES
HEALTH SERVICES
HIV INFECTION
HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS
HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
HOUSEHOLD DATA
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS
HOUSEHOLD RESOURCES
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HOUSEHOLDS
HOUSING
IMMUNIZATION
LEISURE
LIVING STANDARDS
LIVING STANDARDS SURVEY
MARRIED WOMEN
MEAN VALUE
MILLION PEOPLE
MORBIDITY
MORTALITY
MORTALITY RATE
MORTALITY RATES
NON-FOOD PRICES
NON-POOR HOUSEHOLDS
NUTRITION
NUTRITIONAL STATUS
PARENTS
PATIENTS
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
POLICY RESEARCH
POWER
PUBLIC HEALTH
PUBLIC SERVICES
PUBLIC TRANSFERS
RURAL AREA
RURAL AREAS
RURAL HOUSEHOLDS
RURAL WOMEN
SAFETY
SMOKING
SPOUSES
STANDARD ERRORS
URBAN AREAS
WIDOWERS
WIDOWS
spellingShingle ADULTS
AGED
AGING
ARGUMENTS
CANCER
CENSUS
CHILDBIRTH
CHINESE
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
COMMUNITIES
COMMUNITY HEALTH
CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
DEATHS
DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION
DEPRESSION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
DIABETES
DISTRICTS
DWELLING
DWELLINGS
ECONOMETRIC MODEL
ELDERLY
EPIDEMIOLOGY
EXPENDITURE DATA
FAMILIES
FOOD INTAKE
FOOD PRICES
GENDER
GENERATIONS
GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES
HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD
HEALTH CARE
HEALTH OUTCOMES
HEALTH SERVICES
HIV INFECTION
HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS
HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION
HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
HOUSEHOLD DATA
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS
HOUSEHOLD RESOURCES
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
HOUSEHOLDS
HOUSING
IMMUNIZATION
LEISURE
LIVING STANDARDS
LIVING STANDARDS SURVEY
MARRIED WOMEN
MEAN VALUE
MILLION PEOPLE
MORBIDITY
MORTALITY
MORTALITY RATE
MORTALITY RATES
NON-FOOD PRICES
NON-POOR HOUSEHOLDS
NUTRITION
NUTRITIONAL STATUS
PARENTS
PATIENTS
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
POLICY RESEARCH
POWER
PUBLIC HEALTH
PUBLIC SERVICES
PUBLIC TRANSFERS
RURAL AREA
RURAL AREAS
RURAL HOUSEHOLDS
RURAL WOMEN
SAFETY
SMOKING
SPOUSES
STANDARD ERRORS
URBAN AREAS
WIDOWERS
WIDOWS
Ainsworth, Martha
Dayton, Julia
The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania
geographic_facet Africa
Tanzania
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2649
description By the end of 1999, an estimated 24.5 million Africans were living with HIV/AIDS, accounting for more that seventy percent of all global infections. In Tanzania, an estimated 1.3 million people (of a total population of 33 million) were believed to be infected with HIV, and 140,000 had already died of AIDS. One in every 12 adults is infected. African couples have large families, partly so there will be adult children to support parents in old age. Instead, because of the AIDS epidemic, the elderly are often caring for their infected children, or orphaned grandchildren. The authors use longitudinal household data from Tanzania's Kagera region, to measure the impact of prime-age adult mortality on the level, and changes in physical well-being (as measured by body mass index, or BMI) of the elderly. They find that the elderly in non-poor households have higher BMI. Non-poor households are more likely to have an adult death, and the elderly in these households are more likely to suffer declining BMI in the months before the death of a prime-age adult. The elderly in both poor, and non-poor households experience a significant drop in BMI after an adult death, but BMI recovers over time, and there is no long-run association with BMI levels, and recent adult deaths. The elderly hit hardest are those in households nor receiving private transfers. Private transfers received by other household members raise the BMI of the elderly, especially after a recent adult death. There is no evidence that nongovernmental organizations, or public assistance to the household affects short-run changes in BMI. The elderly who have more living children are physically better off, but short-run increases in the number of teenagers in the household are associated with declines in BMI. Improving the incomes, and assets of the poor is key to improving the overall BMI of the elderly. The elderly who have more assets (such as better quality dwellings) tend to have higher BMI. Controlling for individual, and household characteristics, the elderly in communities with roads that are navigable year-round, have substantially higher BMI. Prevention of communicable diseases is key to reducing short-run fluctuations in BMI - through preventing HIV, and community immunization programs that benefit the elderly.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Ainsworth, Martha
Dayton, Julia
author_facet Ainsworth, Martha
Dayton, Julia
author_sort Ainsworth, Martha
title The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania
title_short The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania
title_full The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania
title_fullStr The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Health of the Elderly in Tanzania
title_sort impact of the aids epidemic on the health of the elderly in tanzania
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2001/07/1552025/impact-aids-epidemic-health-elderly-tanzania
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19588
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