The global healthy ageing agenda: The impact of education, gender, childhood conditions and social engagement in rural South Africa

Ron Donato, Ilke Onur, John K. Wilson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract


This paper examines factors associated with the likelihood of healthy ageing and the propensity to utilise health care resources for a rural community in South Africa and the associated policy implications. Our results suggest education exerts a positive influence, and its marginal impact is more prominent for females than males. Further, we show that better childhood health is associated with increased likelihood of ageing well. We also demonstrate an inverse relationship between health care utilisation and healthy ageing. The results presented here suggest that strategic policy investments across life courses in education and child-health fosters not only broader development goals but also enhances healthy ageing trajectories and improve the health and wellbeing of individuals across life stages. This study contributes to informing on the UN’s healthy ageing global strategic agenda in the context of a poor rural region.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)233-250
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Policy Modeling
Volume45
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2023

Keywords

  • Health policy
  • Healthy ageing
  • Health care utilisation
  • Rural South Africa

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