Table 1.
Characteristics of the elderly population
| Total (n=123 176) | Unattended elderly* (n=32 196) | Attended elderly (n=90 980) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 68.7 | 69.9 | 68.2 | <0.001 |
| Male (%) | 51.6 | 35.7 | 57.4 | <0.001 |
| Urban (%) | 18.0 | 14.1 | 19.5 | <0.001 |
| Has a radio at home (%) | 44.9 | 25.8 | 51.8 | <0.001 |
| Completed primary school (%) | 8.9 | 7.1 | 9.6 | <0.001 |
| Proportion of unattended elderly† | ||||
| Earliest survey | — | 23.5% | — | — |
| Most recent survey | — | 26.1% | — | — |
| P value | — | 0.04 | — | — |
*Unattended elderly refers to individuals over the age 60 who live with no prime age adults (age 18-59).
†A comparison of the proportion of elderly people living without prime age adults over time. The median year of the earliest survey was 1993 and the most recent survey 2004.