Table 1.
Socio-demographic and economic characteristics among the elderly at North Shoa Zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia, 2020 (n = 822)
| Variables | Number of respondents | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Age | ||
| 60–69 | 265 | 32.2 |
| 70–79 | 303 | 36.9 |
| 80–89 | 198 | 24.1 |
| ≥ 90 | 56 | 6.8 |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 422 | 51.3 |
| Female | 400 | 48.7 |
| Marital status | ||
| Single | 164 | 20.0 |
| Married | 309 | 37.6 |
| Widowed | 228 | 27.7 |
| Divorced | 121 | 14.7 |
| Educational status | ||
| No formal education | 578 | 70.3 |
| Literate/formal education | 244 | 29.7 |
| Number of children | ||
| No children | 190 | 23.2 |
| One child | 80 | 9.7 |
| Two children | 158 | 19.2 |
| Three and above | 394 | 47.9 |
| Source of income | ||
| Retirement | 34 | 4.1 |
| Helped by family | 148 | 18.0 |
| Farmer | 244 | 29.7 |
| Merchant | 42 | 5.1 |
| No income | 354 | 43.1 |
| Place of residence | ||
| Urban | 232 | 28.2 |
| Rural | 590 | 71.8 |
| Traveling the distance to receive health care | ||
| ≤ 5 km | 676 | 82.2 |
| > 5 km | 146 | 17.8 |
| Living status | ||
| Alone | 380 | 46.2 |
| With a married child | 256 | 31.2 |
| With spouse | 94 | 11.4 |
| With spouse and child | 92 | 11.2 |
| Social support environment available | ||
| No | 550 | 66.9 |
| Yes | 272 | 33.1 |
| Co-morbidity/chronic disease | ||
| No | 608 | 74.0 |
| Yes | 214 | 26.0 |
| Current substance use | ||
| Alcohol | 318 | 38.7 |
| Chewing khat | 6 | 0.7 |
| Tobacco | 42 | 5.1 |
| Coffee/caffeine | 126 | 15.3 |
| No current substance use | 330 | 40.2 |