| The world’s population of older adults is increasing.This has led to worsening inequities in access to healthcare,resource allocation,and general health.While the proportion of older adults is increasing,so is their fear about their economic stability.Older adults’ socioeconomic status may have a significant impact on their quality of life.These gaps in health among older adults due to socioeconomic status are a major concern in our society.Although health decline is a natural aspect of ageing,older adults from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds have a range of health problems and rates of decline.Socioeconomic status and health are among the most critical and challenging issues to address in social policy.Understanding the factors that influence the health of older adults is necessary to assess and allocate appropriate social care needs in the future.In light of the above,the ageing populations in many parts of the world face challenges because of the trend.There is a limitation in research on this topic in Ghana.Findings from these researches are not representative of the older adult population in Ghana and may not be reliable.Ghana’s population is ageing and it is imperative to conduct studies that represent the entire older adult population to make policy decisions easy.The main goal of this research is to establish the relationship that exist between socioeconomic status and health among older adults in Ghana.The main goal has subsequently been divided into five sub-goals.The first goal investigates the impact of older adults’ socioeconomic status on their cognitive functioning;the second goal examines the socioeconomic status factors and their impact on physical functioning of older adults;the third goal examines the impact of socioeconomic status on the self-rated health of older adult;the fourth goal assesses the mediating role of hearing difficulty in the relationship between socioeconomic status and health,and the fifth goal focused on the moderating effects of social support,gender and place of residence on the relationship between socioeconomic status and health.This study used survey data from the World Health Organization’s Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health(WHO SAGE)– Ghana Wave 2.This study presents a conceptual framework that integrates a number of theories to highlight the main health inequalities that exist among older adults based on their socioeconomic status.The study’s conceptual framework is based on the cognitive reserve theory,the economic theory of the demand for health,cumulative advantage theory,and a conceptual model developed by the Mac Arthur Research Network on Socioeconomic status and Health.These theories have been suggested to explain the relationships that exist between socioeconomic status and health.The study uses objective methods to analyze the data.The relationships between the constructs were evaluated using a four-step hierarchical linear regression.This method of analysis enabled the study to accurately predict or assess the relationships between the dependent and independent variables.The addition of Structural Equation Modelling(SEM)and Partial Least Square Path Modelling(PLS-PM)to the analysis aided in testing of hypotheses and the validation of linear regression results.The main outcome variables in the study were cognitive functioning,physical functioning,and self-rated health.Cognitive functioning was measured objectively using verbal recall,verbal fluency,forward digit span,and backward digit span.To measure physical functioning,activities of daily living(ADL)and instrumental activities of daily living(IADL)were used.Self-rated health was measured by asking the respondents to score their own health.Further,the socioeconomic status of the participants was assessed by assessing their educational achievement,household income,father’s education level,mother’s education level,cash benefits,and pension benefits.Tools for the data analysis included STATA SE version 14.2 and Intellectus Statistics.The results observed significant associations among the variables.The study found that poor cognitive functioning was significantly associated with old age and gender.Additionally,older adults who received pension benefits were likely to have better cognitive impairment.According to the findings,older adults with higher socioeconomic status are likely to have higher cognitive capabilities.Similarly,the findings suggest that older adults who have a higher socioeconomic status are more likely to maintain their physical function as they get older.The study further suggests that female older adults are much more likely than males to report poor physical health.A significant association between socioeconomic status and self-rated health was also observed.Hearing difficulty mediated the relationship between socioeconomic status and physical functioning.Based on the statistical significance for the indirect effect,partial mediation using hearing difficulty was supported.Social support predicted cognitive functioning and self-rated health.Social support moderated the relationship between socioeconomic status,cognitive functioning and self-rated health.To address older adult health challenges across all facets of national strategic planning,effective policies are required.It is important to note that the findings of this study have implications for both healthcare providers and policymakers.Implementing public policy and health programs that encourage older adults to live healthier lifestyles and have better access to healthcare are critical to improving their health and quality of life as they age.Policies relating to ageing that are now in place offer very little assistance to the elderly.The National Ageing Policy must be implemented quickly in order to increase resource allocation to individuals who require long-term care,such as people with disabilities and the elderly.New policies must take into account the social and economic potentials of older adults,which have been proved to improve the socioeconomic status of the entire family in which they live. |
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