Older Households Research Articles

How do subjective mortality beliefs affect the value of social security and the optimal claiming ages?

AbstractHouseholds that postpone claiming Social Security benefits are, in effect, making additional purchases of the Social Security annuity and acquiring valuable longevity insurance. This paper investigates the impact of plausible variations of subjective mortality beliefs on the value of delayed claiming and the optimal claiming ages of retired workers. Using the Health and Retirement Study data, we show that older individuals could, on average, predict their life expectancy correctly; however, the average variance of age of death calculated from subjective mortality tables is 6.2%–14.4% lower than that from cohort life tables. Using numerical optimization techniques, we further show that, theoretically, older households place a lower value on delaying claiming when they have greater confidence in their ability to forecast their age of death. But the magnitude of this effect is not large enough to change their optimal claiming ages, unless they hold extreme subjective mortality beliefs. As a result, we conclude that subjective mortality beliefs alone cannot explain the prevalence of early claiming behaviors.

The effect of urban-rural health insurance integration on consumption of middle-aged and older adult households in rural areas: evidence from China.

Rural consumption is crucial in promoting economic and social development in China's economic slowdown. Integrating urban-rural residents' health insurance has alleviated the financial burden of medical expenses for rural households and boosted rural household consumption. This study examines the effect of integrating urban-rural residents' health insurance on the consumption patterns of middle-aged and older adult households in rural China. Our research provides a reference basis for improving rural healthcare security and enhancing the sustainable consumption capacity in rural areas. We employed a Propensity Score Matching Difference-in-Differences model (PSM-DID) to estimate the association between health insurance integration and household consumption using panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2013 to 2018. Furthermore, we employed a mediation model to analyze the influencing mechanisms. Our findings suggested a positive association between health insurance integration and survival consumption as well as total consumption among rural middle-aged and older adult households. The conclusion remained valid after endogeneity treatment, robustness and placebo tests. Furthermore, we found that the impact of health insurance integration is more pronounced for middle-aged, female, and high-income rural residents' households. Integrating urban-rural residents' health insurance raised consumption by reducing medical expenses and increasing health and life expectancy. Policymakers should deepen the rural medical and health system reform, improve the convenience of medical services for middle-aged and older adult families in rural areas, and improve the medical and life assistance mechanism for vulnerable groups in rural areas. Additionally, the local government should continuously broaden rural household income channels to promote upgrading consumption structure while improving overall consumption levels.

Homeownership as a source of income in kind for elderly households: the evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study

Although housing wealth in general, and own residence in particular, accounts for the greatest share in the household wealth composition irrespective of the country, the issue of housing as a source of additional income in kind is rarely addressed in the current literature. The study explores the distribution of imputed rental income among older households. It aims to assess the role of the income in kind in shaping the welfare of the elderly, and specifically, its impact on poverty reduction. It also investigates how the inclusion of imputed rent in the income concept impacts inequality estimates. Our empirical research covers a cross-country comparative analysis that draws from Luxembourg Income Study database and includes seventeen countries. We examine the situation of older homeowners as compared to subsidized tenants and renters at market price to answer the question to what extent homeownership can act as a source of additional pension income. This entails also some policy implications regarding the justification for incentives and privileges for homeowners and homebuyers aimed at increasing homeownership rates, as well as the need for development of subsidized rental sector.

Portfolio allocation over the life cycle with multiple late-in-life saving motives

Older households face health-related risks, including risks related to long-term care and mortality. The effect of these risks on household financial portfolio choices depends on household preferences for long-term care and bequests. Using linked survey-administrative data on clients of a mutual fund company, this paper finds that the desire to have enough resources for long-term care and bequests is overall strong but also heterogeneous across households. The estimated relationship between the actual stock share of households and the strength of these preferences is qualitatively similar but quantitatively weaker compared to predictions from the life-cycle model with estimated preference heterogeneity. Based on the predictions from the model, this paper discusses directions to improve financial advice and instruments to better meet household needs.

Drivers of Food Security amongst Plantain Producing Households in Edo State, Nigeria

The agricultural sector in many countries continues to be plagued with diverse challenges which often tend to affect agricultural yield, thus posing a threat to food security. This reduced yield has the potential to pose a threat to achieving global food security. Due to the high occurrence of food insecurity, many households are devising strategies through which they can cope with the adverse effect of food insecurity. This study assessed the factors driving food security among plantain-producing households in Edo State, Nigeria. Primary data was collected in 120 plantain-producing households using a multi-stage random sampling technique and analyzed using the food security index and logit regression model. The households’ food security status was estimated at N555 (approx. $1), based on a daily minimum food bundle of 2260 kcal. The study showed that 46.7% of households were food insecure. The regression analysis for factors influencing food security revealed that older household heads tend to be more food insecure as compared to their younger counterpart. With a positive relationship between farm size and food security, the likelihood of being food secure increases with farm size increase. Similarly, female-headed households are more likely to be food secure. To cope with food insecurity, households have used coping strategies which include eating less of their preferred food, limiting the portion of food, and skipping meals.

Effects of multimorbidity patterns and socioeconomic status on catastrophic health expenditure of widowed older adults in China.

The high multimorbidity and lower socioeconomic status (SES) of older adults, can lead to catastrophic health expenditures (CHEs) for older adults' households. However, whether widowed older adults will bear such a financial burden has yet to be explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of multimorbidity patterns and SES on CHE in Chinese widowed older adults. Data was obtained from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 1,721 widowed participants aged 60 years and older were enrolled in the study. Latent class analysis was performed based on 14 self-reported chronic diseases to identify multimorbidity patterns. The logistic model and Tobit model were used to analyze the influence of multimorbidity patterns and SES on the incidence and intensity of CHE, respectively. About 36.72% of widowed older adults generated CHE. The incidence and intensity of CHE were significantly higher in the cardiovascular class and multisystem class than in the minimal disease class in multimorbidity patterns (cardiovascular class, multisystem class, and minimal disease class). Among SES-related indicators (education, occupation and household per capita income), respondents with a middle school and above education level were more likely to generate CHE compared to those who were illiterate. Respondents who were in the unemployed group were more likely to generate CHE compared to agricultural workers. In addition, respondents aged 70-79 years old, geographically located in the east, having other medical insurance, or having fewer family members are more likely to generate CHE and have higher CHE intensity. Widowed older adults are at high risk for CHE, especially those in the cardiovascular and multisystem disease classes, and those with low SES. Several mainstream health insurances do not provide significant relief. In addition, attention should be paid to the high-risk characteristics associated with CHE. It is necessary to carry out the popularization of chronic disease knowledge, improve the medical insurance system and medical service level, and provide more policy preferences and social support to widowed older adults.

Adoption Of Standard Medical Deduction Increased SNAP Enrollment And Benefits In 21 Participating States.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reduces food insecurity but is underused among many households. To increase SNAP participation, twenty-one states have adopted the standard medical deduction (SMD), which simplifies administrative requirements for eligible households (those with older adults or people with disabilities). However, to offset the costs of the SMD, states have reduced SNAP benefits elsewhere, raising concerns of negative spillover effects. Using national data from the period 2004-19 and a fixed-effects estimator, we found that the SMD was associated with increased SNAP participation among SMD-eligible households, in terms of aggregate household counts (20percent) and as a share of households receiving SNAP (5percentage points). Moreover, estimated annual SNAP benefits per state increased for SMD-eligible households but decreased (although not statistically significantly) for ineligible households. Offsetting SNAP costs may have benefited households with older adults and households with people with disabilities at the expense of others.

Distribution pattern of households’ income inequality in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Income inequality is a pervasive problem in South Africa and particularly affects the Eastern Cape, where poverty levels remain high despite several efforts to address this societal issue. The datasets from 1499 households used for this study, were extracted from the 2021 South African General Household Survey. This study thus examined the distributional pattern of households’ income inequality in Eastern Cape, South Africa, through the use of exploratory data analysis and application of regression-based decomposition of inequality. The EDA results revealed that relatively older households are more concentrated than those young people, female-headed households were also predominant in the study area, while the majority of the households are Black South Africans. The magnitude of the monetary variables’ departure from the mean inferred clear evidence of a widened households’ income disparity or inequality in the study area. The decomposition analysis indicated the contributions of various socioeconomic factors to income inequality. The findings from the regression-based decomposition of inequality found household size, access to basic infrastructure services, possession of assets, internet communication facilities, and households’ population group, as the major drivers of the households’ income inequality in the province, while livelihood diversity has a relatively moderate proportionate contribution. On the other hand, factors such as age and gender of the household head, as well as households’ involvements in agriculture have a minor effect on the households’ income inequality. This paper finally concludes that the relative contributions of each factor contributing to inequality were deemed important for designing effective policy-relevant interventions which can be used to promote economic growth and to address this persistent challenge of income inequality in society.

Predictors of mosquito bed net use among children under-fives in Ghana: a multilevel analysis of the 2019 malaria indicator survey

BackgroundMorbidities and mortalities due to malaria can be prevented by the use of insecticide-treated mosquito bed nets (ITN), which has been proven for malaria control and elimination. The purpose of this study was to assess the critical factors that predict the use of ITN among children under-fives in Ghana.MethodsThe study utilized data from the 2019 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS). The outcome variable was mosquito bed net use among children under-fives. To determine critical factors that independently predict ITN use, multilevel multivariable logistic regression was employed using Stata version 16. Odds ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals and p-values were reported. A p < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.ResultsThe overall prevalence of ITN usage was 57.4%. Utilization of bed nets was 66.6% in the rural areas and 43.5% in the urban areas, was highest in the Upper West region (80.6%) even when stratified to rural (82.9%) and urban areas (70.3%) whilst Greater Accra region (30.5%, rural = 41.7%, urban = 28.9%) had the least. The community level multilevel analysis showed that bed net utilization was higher among children in rural areas [AOR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.32–3.01, p = 0.001] and in household with wooden wall materials [AOR = 3.29, 95% CI 1.15–9.40, p = 0.027]. Bed net utilization was however, less for households with 3 + children under-five [AOR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.19–0.46, p < 0.001), 4 years old (AOR = 0.66, 95% CI 00.48–00.92, p = 0.014], without universal access to bed net [AOR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.37–0.73, p < 0.001], those in the Greater Accra [AOR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.13–0.51, p < 0.001], Eastern [AOR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.23–0.95, p = 0.036], Northern [AOR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.20–0.88, p = 0.022], middle [AOR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.35–0.94, p = 0.026] and rich/richest [AOR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.29–0.92, p = 0.025] household wealth quintile. Substantial unobserved household and community level differences in bed net use were found.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the need to intensify promotion of ITN use to those in urban areas, Greater Accra, Eastern and Northern regions, houses without wooden wall materials, middle and rich/richest households. Interventions should be targeted at older children and households with more under-five children and to ensure full access and use of ITNs among all children under-fives in each household as part of the overall goal of achieving the health-related SDGs.

Spending trajectories after age 65 variation by initial wealth

There has been extensive research on the importance of saving for retirement and on tools to support the accumulation of retirement wealth. Much less attention has been paid to the decumulation phase, that is, the spending down of wealth following retirement. Understanding the decumulation phase requires information about the spending patterns of older households and how those patterns evolve with age. This study uses comprehensive longitudinal data on total household spending from a survey that is representative of the older U.S. population to estimate the trajectories of spending after age 65. Based on data spanning the period 2005–2019, real spending declined for both single and coupled households after age 65 at annual rates of about 1.7 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. Stratification by wealth holdings observed at or closely following age 65 showed sizeable variation in spending levels by wealth quartile, but little variation in rates of change in spending. The fact that spending declines broadly, including among those in the highest wealth quartile, suggests that the decline may not be related to economic position. This view is supported by an analysis of budget shares which show increases with age in the budget share for gifts and donations which suggests that economic position on average does not deteriorate with age, even as spending declines.

Survey on the Acceptance of Ambient Sensors in Solo and Older Couple-Only Households in Japan.

For this study, an online survey was conducted to discover the preferences of older adults when they used sensors in their households, rather than the preferences of the researchers who developed them. The sample size was 400 Japanese community-dwelling people aged 65 years and older. The numbers of samples for men and women, household composition (single-person/couple-only household), and younger senior (younger than 74 years old) and older senior (older than 75 years old) were equally assigned. The survey results showed that "informational security" and "constancy of life" were considered more important than other factors when installing sensors. Furthermore, looking at the results regarding the type of sensors that face resistance, we found that both cameras and microphones were evaluated as facing slightly strong resistance, while doors/windows, temperature/humidity, CO2/gas/smoke, and water flow were evaluated as not facing such strong resistance. The elderly who are likely to need sensors in the future also have various attributes, and the introduction of ambient sensors in elderly households may be further advanced by recommending applications that are easy to introduce based on the attributes of the target population, rather than discussing all of them in general.

Home Modification Status and Needs of Older Adults Households for Sustainable Living in the Community - Focused on the Korea Housing Survey 2020 -

This study aims to provide implications as basic data for seeking spatial alternatives for sustainable home-based elderly housing in the community and establishing policies by identifying the reality of housing modification and improvement needs of older adults households. The analysis data used the micro-data of Korea housing survey 2020, and the older adults household owners aged 65 or older who responded that they had experience in housing modification were targeted. As a result, older adults households of ‘female’ and ‘over 85 years of age’ were found to be the most in need of support as both the awareness and use rate of home modification installation and housing support programs were lower than others. Most of the home modification items were repaired in the kitchen and toilet-related facilities, ‘lever-type faucet (faucet)’, and ‘a kitchen workbench of appropriate height’ was the highest in order. The necessary home modification was ‘safe flooring for anti-slip’, ‘a toilet or bathroom support handles’, ‘emergency bells in the house’, and ‘removal of steps such as thresholds and stairs in the house’ were higher than others. ‘Male’ older adults households were more aware of the housing support program than ‘female’ older adults. Even though home modification was the preferred program, it showed a low utilization rate.

Can farmers’ climate change adaptation strategies ensure their food security? Evidence from Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Climate change poses a significant threat to the sustainability of agricultural production among smallholder farm households in Ethiopia. To reduce the adverse effects of climate risks, farm households have sought to adopt different adaptation strategies. This study investigates factors influencing farm households’ choice of climate adaptation strategies and associated effects on their food security in Ethiopia using data collected from 516 farm households from three regions. A multivariate probit and propensity score matching models were used to analyze data. Major adaptation strategies adopted by the farm households in the study area are planting drought-tolerant crop varieties (60%), changing the planting dates (53%), growing diversified crops (49%), and diversifying the sources of household income (45%). Results suggest that older farm household heads are more likely to use drought-tolerant crop varieties to reduce climate risks. Farm households with larger farmland size and those with more years of experience in farming are more likely to use drought-tolerant crop varieties and crop diversification strategies. Farm households with larger family size are more likely to use crop and income diversification strategies and change the planting dates against the backdrop of a high risk of climatic shocks. Membership in input supply cooperatives, frequency of contact with extension agents, and access to information on expected rainfall and temperature are positively associated with different adaptation practices adopted by farm households. Farm households who have adopted climate adaptation strategies have higher food security status (by 2.3–2.8%) compared to those who have not. Thus, the farm households’ climate adaptation practices have positive food security effects in Ethiopia.

The prevalence of emotional abuse in children living in Sub-Saharan Africa – A systematic review

ObjectivesThis study is meant to put a focus on the prevalence of emotional abuse in low-income states like the Sub-Saharan region. MethodologySearching PubMed, Google scholar, and web of science during February and April 2021 a total of 2264 articles were identified, 27 met the inclusion criteria.We added the results of 13 VAC (Violence Against Children and Youth) studies, conducted by UNICEF capturing information about experienced sexual, physical, or emotional violence in 13–24-year-olds, as well as 56 MIC (Multiple Indicator Cluster) studies, conducted by the CDC to research the disciplinary methods used with children aged 1–14 years in the past month by older household members.Finally, in a meta-analytic approach, we aimed to calculate a pooled estimate of the prevalence. ResultsThe included studies depicted a wide range in prevalence rates across countries. For example, while the VAC study in Lesotho in 2018 showed low incidence rates of emotional violence (6.9 % Females, 3.8 % Males), the average prevalence recorded by the MIC study was as high as 57.8 % for females and 59.2 % for males. On average, the MIC studies displayed a higher incidence and the discrepancy of prevalence of emotional abuse between females and males was small. Calculating a pooled estimate of the prevalence was not possible, due to the heterogeneity of the data. ConclusionsIn general countries displayed a high prevalence. A standardized use of a uniform definition of emotional abuse might help to display a more homogenous data set in the future, giving the opportunity for pooled estimates of prevalence.

Assessing possible moderators on the association between frequency of contact with non-cohabitating adult children and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults

IntroductionWith the increase of older adult population, late life depression is emerging as a major problem in many countries as it significantly deteriorates function and quality of life in older adults. Late life depression is a multidimensional disease that requires intervention in biopsychosocial perspective. Recent reduction in family size and rapid simplification of generations are making this decrease more dramatic. Thus, single older households are becoming general type of household in late life, emphasizing the importance of social engagement in late life depressionObjectivesthe purpose of this study is to assess the correlation between the frequency of face-to-face and non-face-to-face contact with non-cohabitating adult children and late life depression after the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we hypothesized 10 possible moderators and evaluated the moderation effect of each moderator on the correlation. By identifying groups of older adults that are more affected by contact with their children, the understanding of the relationship between late life depression and family contact in older adults might provide insights to set intervention targets in the community.MethodsOlder adults who completed the Living Profiles of Older People Survey in Korea were included. In total, 7,573 participants were analyzed by measuring their contact frequency and depression symptoms. Regression analysis was done adjusting covariates. Process macro was used to verify the moderating effects of variables.ResultsMultivariable logistic regression analysis showed that both infrequent face-to-face (OR=1.87, 95% CI=1.56-2.23) and non-face-to-face contact (OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.03-1.44) with non-cohabitating adult children group was associated with higher risk of late life depression compared to a frequent contact group. Further linear regression analysis, which viewed depressive symptoms as SGDS-K score, indicated consistent results in face-to-face and non-face-to-face contact (estimate=0.468, standard error [SE]=0.091, p&lt;0.001 and estimate=0.262, standard error [SE]=0.079, p&lt;0.001, respectively). Finally, using moderation analysis, association with late life depression and frequency of face-to-face contact was moderated by age, quartiles of household income, number of chronic diseases, frequency of physical activity, existence of spouse, and nutritional status (NSI) whether effect of frequency of non-face-to-face contact on late life depression was increased by participation in social activity, frequent physical activity, and good cognitive function (MMSE-DS score)(p for interaction&lt;0.05).ConclusionsFrequent contact of non-cohabitating children lowers the risk of later life depression. Several variables were found significant in moderating contact frequency-depression symptoms.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Do Children Matter to the Household Debt Burden?

In this paper, we assess the scale of indebtedness of households with children and investigate the impact of having children on the likelihood of falling into excessive debt. Using the unique dataset on indebted households in Poland, we employ two indicators to identify over-indebtedness: debt service-to-income ratio (DSTI) and subjective debt burden (SB). Applying two different debt measures allows encompassing both the economic and psychological dimensions of debt burden. In addition, we divide households into two groups: young (with a reference person aged under 35) and middle-aged and older adults (aged 35+). We find that the number of children increases the monthly debt repayments and reduces the likelihood of over-indebtedness, both according to DSTI and SB, for middle-aged and older adult households. There is no evidence for the influence of children on the over-indebtedness of young families. Our results suggest that for this age group of households, the other variables related to their economic situation and debt structures may explain the likelihood of over-indebtedness better than the presence of children.

Digital divide and household energy poverty in China

This study explores whether and how the digital divide affects household energy poverty in China. Based on China Family Panel Studies data, the digital divide index at the household level is constructed using the factor analysis method. We then examine the effects of the digital divide on household energy poverty. The results suggest that the digital divide hinders the reduction of household energy poverty. Our results are robust against different energy poverty measures. We also conduct the heterogeneity analysis of income groups, age groups, and urban and rural households. The findings demonstrate that the digital divide has a greater negative impact on alleviating energy poverty in low-income households, older households, and rural households. It also inhibits household energy poverty reduction by increasing income poverty and credit constraints, reducing employment, and weakening social capital. For developing countries such as China, the digital economy has developed rapidly. Nevertheless, the digital divide will inevitably impair the energy poverty reduction and welfare of some households. In digital economic development, we need to focus on the digital economy's efficiency, fairness, and inclusive development. Our findings can provide a micro basis for constructing the digital divide index, economic impact assessment, and policy design to narrow the digital divide in developing countries.

Losers amongst the Losers:: The welfare effects of the great recession across cohorts

This paper studies the effect of deep recessions on intergenerational inequality by quantifying the welfare effects on households at different phases of the life cycle. Deep recessionary episodes are characterized by large declines in the prices of real and financial assets and in employment. The former levies high welfare costs on older households who own financial wealth, the latter determines labour income losses and destroys the human capital of younger cohorts, lowering their productivity. The paper extends previous analyses in the literature by including permanent labour income losses in an OLG model calibrated to match the Great Recession. The analysis shows that younger households lose more than double of all other living cohorts, as younger household become unemployed and experience a decline in their future income. The dynamics of households’ consumption and portfolio composition between 2007 and 2013 in the US are consistent with the predictions of the model.

Determinants of food insecurity in food aid receiving communities in Ethiopia

This study analyzed households' food security and its determinants along with the coping mechanisms opted against food insecurity while assessing the food security interventions in southern Ethiopia. Combination of emergency and project food aids are the two major intervention strategies enforced to alleviate food insecurity in the area. The results from descriptive statistics show that 74.17% of the surveyed households were food insecure. The logit model result revealed that sex, age, education level of household head, family size and access to remittance were significant factors that affect the status of household's food security. Finally, empowering women, fair aid targeting on older households, strengthening formal and informal education, awareness creation on effective family planning and reducing the dependency syndrome and encouraging entrepreneurship were identified to factors that potentially improve food security on the households. • Food aid cannot achieve food security by itself. • Some of the food aid is stolen and sold in the market place. • Cash for work provides employment opportunities and generate public goods. • Food aid program participation had an association with social connection. • Prolonged aid-dependency results loss of skills and aspiration failure.

Household financial burden associated with healthcare for older people in Viet Nam: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundPopulation ageing and the associated increase in the healthcare needs of older people are putting pressure on the healthcare system in Viet Nam. The country prioritizes healthcare for older people and has developed financial protection policies to mitigate financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditures (OOPHEs) borne by their households. This study examines the level and determinants of the financial burden of OOPHE among households with people aged ≥ 60 years in Viet Nam.MethodsA cross-sectional household survey was conducted among a sample of 1536 older people living in 1477 households in three provinces representing the North, Central and South regions of Viet Nam during 2019–2020. The financial outcomes were catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), using WHO's definition, and financial distress due to OOPHE. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the factors associated with these outcomes.ResultsOOPHE for older household members accounted for 86.3% of total household health expenditure. Of households with older people, 8.6% (127) faced CHE, and 12.2% (181) experienced financial distress due to OOPHE. Households were at a higher risk of incurring financial burdens related to health expenditures if they had fewer household members; included only older people; were in rural or remote, mountainous areas; and had older members with noncommunicable diseases. There was no significant association between health insurance coverage and financial burden. However, when older people sought tertiary care or private care, the possibility of a household facing CHE increased. Regardless of the type and level of care, health service utilization by older people results in a higher likelihood of a household encountering financial distress.ConclusionsThis study reveals that OOPHE for older people can impose substantial financial burdens on households, leading them to face CHE and financial distress. This study provides evidence to justify reforming financial protection policies and introducing policy interventions targeted at better protecting older people and their households from the financial consequences of OOPHE. There is also the need to strengthen the grassroots health facilities to provide primary care closer to home at lower costs, particularly for the management of noncommunicable diseases.