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Disability transitions and health expectancies among adults 45 years and older in Malawi : a cohort-based model

PAYNE, Colin F
MKANDAWIRE, James
KOHLER, Hnas-Peter
May 2013

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This article presents the results of study that investigated how poor physical health results in functional limitations that limit the day-to-day activities of individuals in domains relevant to this subsistence-agriculture context. Participants came from 2006, 2008, and 2010 waves of the Malawi Longitudinal Survey of Families and Health, a study of the rural population in Malawi. The study found that individuals in this population experience a lengthy struggle with disabling conditions in adulthood, with high probabilities of remitting and relapsing between states of functional limitation. Given the strong association of disabilities with work efforts and subjective well-being, this research suggests that current national health policies and international donor-funded health programs in SSA inadequately target the physical health of mature and older adults.

 

PLoS Med Vol 10, Issue 5

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