A
new study has shown that although women have a longer life expectancy, they
experience a much greater prevalence of disability in old age than men do.
"We focused on a socioeconomic position factor such as
educational level and health factors such as limitations to daily activity. By
studying this relationship we were able to see the social inequalities in
dependency", Albert Espelt, lead author of the study and a researcher at the
Public Health Agency of Barcelona, said.
The study is based on the
health surveys that have been carried out in Barcelona by the Public Health
Agency since 1982.
"These are representative of the
non-institutionalised population living in Barcelona", the expert said.
In total, the team interviewed 4,244 people aged above 64 (893 in 1992,
2,140 in 2000 and 1,211 in 2006).
“We saw differences in
limitations according to socioeconomic position, which remained steady over the
course of time", the expert pointed out.
The prevalence of
disability in people aged over 64 increased among women in Catalonia between
1992 and 2006, but not among men, due to the increase in female life expectancy.
The prevalence of disability in 2006 was 30 per cent among men and 53 per cent
in women. In other words, it increases among the most elderly women.
"The double burden of work that women experience throughout their lives
(domestic work and work outside the home) is a key factor in explaining this
difference in different studies", says Espelt.
Domestic work is
less rewarding than working outside the home, and leads to a greater prevalence
of non-fatal diseases such as musculoskeletal problems and depression.
The study has been published in the latest issue of the
Journal of Women’s Health.
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