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. 2017;42(4):429-446.
doi: 10.1007/s12126-017-9305-7. Epub 2017 Nov 18.

Living Alone among Older Persons in Uganda: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Stephen Ojiambo Wandera  1   2 , Isaac Ddumba  3 , Joshua Odunayo Akinyemi  2   4 , Sunday A Adedini  2   5 , Clifford Odimegwu  2
Affiliations

Living Alone among Older Persons in Uganda: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Stephen Ojiambo Wandera et al. Ageing Int. 2017.

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the prevalence and factors associated with living alone among older persons in Uganda. A secondary analysis of the 2010 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) data was conducted. A complementary log-log regression model was used to estimate the association between living alone and demographic, socio-economic and health factors. Nearly one out of ten (9%) older persons lived alone in Uganda. Living alone was associated with being divorced / separated (OR 18.5, 95% CI: 10.3-33.3), being widowed (OR 8.8, 95% CI: 5.1-15.2), advanced age (OR 2.1, 95% CI: 1.4-3.2), residence in western region (OR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.3-0.93), poor wealth status (OR 0.3, 95% CI: 0.2-06), receiving remittances (OR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3) and being disabled (OR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2-2.1). Living alone among older persons did not vary by gender.

Keywords: Elderly; Living arrangements; Sub-Saharan Africa; Uganda.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors Wandera, Ddumba, Akinyemi and Adedini, declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethical Treatment of Experimental Subjects (Animal and Human)

The authors used secondary data collected by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). The data were accessed during the data-sharing meeting by the UBOS at Makerere University. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (UNCST) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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