Health conditions among elderly Puerto Ricans: gender differences

ABSTRACT

The health conditions of 466 free-living elderly Puerto Ricans were surveyed islandwide between September 1984 ans September 1985. the questions pertaining to this topic are made up of 17 itms: seven questions about background information and a list of ten of the most frquently reported health conditions among the elderly. It is part of a larger study of the socio-demographic characteristics of this papulation, comprised of 173 questions. The statistical tests of significance utlized were those of Kendall's Tau B and Cramer'sV. The structural variables of sex, age, and marital status were found to be the most statistically significant for the presence of health conditions at the time of the interview. The implications of this for the elderly, social and public policy planners, formal and informal care givers and the health cara establishment are discussed