Valérie Golaz

Factors associated with self-reported ill health among older Ugandans: a cross sectional study.

Highlights • We estimate the prevalence of self-reported ill health among older people in Uganda.• Cross sectional national survey data of 2382 older persons is used.• Most (62%) older Ugandans reported ill health.• The women, oldest old, household heads, Catholics reported poorer health.• Those with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and disability reported poor health.

UN Census "Households" and Local Interpretations in Africa Since Independence

Since the 1950s, the UN Statistical Division has encouraged nations to standardize the definitions used in data collection. A key concept in censuses and surveys is the household: This is the unit for which information is collected and analyzed, and is thus an important dimension of data that are the basis for many policies. We aim to understand the tensions between conformity with UN guidelines and national priorities. We analyze the documentation around the UN household definition over this period. Using detailed census and survey documentary data for several African countries, especially Burkina Faso, Senegal, Uganda, and Tanzania, we examine the disparities between national census definitions of “household” and the UN definition. Perspectives from interviews with key informants within national statistical offices demonstrate the variability in the importance accorded to the UN harmonization aims and the problems that arise when these standardized approaches interact with local norms and living arrangements.

Understanding the vulnerability of older adults: extent of and breaches in support systems in Uganda

ABSTRACT Older adults’ vulnerability and resilience are a result of processes constructed throughout the lifecycle. In Uganda, older people almost always rely exclusively on their social networks for care and economic support when in need. These support systems are mainly family based, and play a role of safety net for their older members. However, localised in-depth studies have pointed out the limitations of family-based support systems, especially in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This paper uses 83 in-depth interviews conducted in various settings across Uganda with older people and their family members on the subject of their support systems. Over and above the lack of immediate/personal resources characterising most older people, our results highlight the importance of the extent of support systems and resource diversity. Most of the people in our case studies had lost descendants due to the civil war, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, or simply family break-ups, events which often create large breaches and gaps in support systems. Few older people can be resilient in this situation, primarily because there are often not enough resources available in their support networks to cover the needs of all, especially education for the young and health-care access for the old.

Memory, Perception of Life, and Family Environment

The Biographies et entourage survey provides a means to reconstruct the composition of respondents’ contact circles over their lifetimes. It also records their subjective assessments of the different periods of their life course. In this chapter, we first describe the evolution of the respondents’ family networks (co-resident and beyond the household). We then analyse how their reported well-being – reconstructed ex post – and the factual situations that characterize the successive periods of the respondents’ life are interlinked. The results show in detail how these family circles shape the respondents’ subjective judgments during their childhood, adolescence and adult life. Strong gender differences are identified, conjugal and maternal life being more relevant for women. Among men, external events such as the Second World War play a significant role in the appreciation of their childhood.