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Health status of independently living older adults in R omania
Author(s) -
Ghinescu Minerva,
Olaroiu Marinela,
Dijk Jitse P,
Olteanu Tatiana,
Heuvel Wim JA
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.12199
Subject(s) - medicine , neuroticism , gerontology , extraversion and introversion , health care , romanian , personality , big five personality traits , psychology , social psychology , linguistics , philosophy , economics , economic growth
Aim Aging is affecting health care all over E urope, but it is expected to have a much greater impact in E astern E urope. Reliable data on various indicators of health of older adults in E astern E urope are lacking. The objectives of the present study were to describe the health of older Romanian adults, and to examine its relationship with sociodemographic, psychological and social factors. Methods This cross‐sectional study used a stratified sample of 600 independent‐living older R omanian adults from the great metropolitan area of B ucharest; 549 citizens aged ≥65 years participated. Data were collected by a mailed questionnaire and interviews. Measurements included self‐rated health, the number of chronic conditions, the Short Form ‐20, the E ysenck P ersonality Q uestionnaire and S ocial support. Results Romanian older adults rate their health as “fair”. On average, they report three chronic conditions. They more frequently have problems in executing daily activities as compared with older adults from other E uropean countries. Three components of health are identified: independent functioning, suffering from chronic diseases and psychological health. Regression analysis shows that age, education and social support are related to each component, and neuroticism and extraversion to two components of health. Conclusions A comparison with international data shows various indicators of health of older R omanian adults to be relatively worse. The three identified components of health offer opportunities for an integrated approach to deal with the health care needs of older citizens. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 926–933.