Table 1.

Socio-demographic and descriptive characteristics of indigents in the sample

Variables		n	%
Sex	Female	1117	67.6
	Male	535	32.4
Age	18–24 years	79	4.8
	25–49 years	485	29.4
	50–64 years	509	30.8
	65 and older	579	35.0
Marital status	Married, monogamous	564	34.1
	Married, polygamous	410	24.8
	Widowed	461	34.0
	Single	78	4.7
	Separated/divorced	39	2.4
Schooling	No	1561	94.5
	Yes	91	5.5
Literacy	No	1548	93.7
	Yes	104	6.3
Income	No	1435	86.9
	Yes	217	13.1
Perceived health status	Good	322	19.5
	Average	891	53.9
	Poor	439	26.6
Handicap	No	1263	76.5
	Yes	389	23.5
Cognitive functioning	Altered	1095	66.3
	Non-altered	557	33.7
Ability to fulfill nutritional needs	No	885	53.6
	Yes	767	46.4
Begging behaviours	No	1364	82.6
	Yes	288	17.4