"Our Home Is a Muddy Structure": Perceptions of Housing and Health Risks Among Older Adults in Contrasting Neighborhoods in Ghana

Improving health and social care services for slum-dwelling older adults: Perspectives of health professionals

Background

Besides confronting the challenges of a growing older population, developing countries are dealing with limited resources and infrastructure, to ensure good health and social care services. One of these developing countries facing these challenges is Ghana. The healthcare system in Ghana currently does not have specialized geriatric services and is funded through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), private insurance companies and an out-of-pocket expenditure system. Social care services are important in improving Quality of Life (QoL) as it helps in building and strengthening relationships while also keeping slum-dwelling older adults active. There are various challenges with the health and social care of older adults in slums and practical ways to improve these have not been explored among the providers of this care.

Aims

This study, therefore, aimed to explore (1) the views of health professionals on older slum-dwelling adults' health and social care needs, access, and use, and (2) recommendations for improving access to health and social care services among slum-dwelling older adults.

Method

A qualitative exploratory descriptive approach was used among health professionals by conducting a focus group discussion (FGD) and interviews. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from each participant.

Results

A total of 27 participants took part in the study. In the analysis of transcripts, 3 themes and 14 subthemes were conceptualized. Financial difficulties, queueing issues, distance to health facilities, health illiteracy and negative attitude of health professionals were identified as some barriers to the utilization of formal healthcare services. Social care services were described as non-existent, not structured, and having limited resources to cater for attendants. The health professionals also provided recommendations for improvement.

Conclusion

Health professionals in this study discussed barriers to access and use of health and social care services. Addressing these barriers is essential to improve the use of formal health and social care services and diminish health inequity among older adults.

Household clean energy consumption and health: Theoretical and empirical analysis

The impact of energy consumption on health has become a widely debated topic around the world. However, much of the current research on this topic lacks a theoretical basis. As a result, this paper employs both theoretical and empirical analysis to investigate the impact of household clean energy consumption on residents' health. First, based on the theories of health economics and energy economics, this paper believes that the usage of clean energy can improve the health of residents. Then, the sample for this study is comprised of data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and the Order Probit Model is applied for the empirical analysis. The outcomes of basic regression, robustness testing, and the treatment of endogenous factors reveal that the usage of clean energy has greatly benefited the health of residents. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis shows that long-term use of clean energy greatly improved the health of non-religious people and had a more pronounced impact on the health of women and low-income residents. In addition, the mechanistic analysis indicates that subjective happiness and air quality played a partial mediating role in the impact of cleaner energy consumption on health. Finally, cleaner household energy reduced the prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, lung disease, asthma, and depression. The conclusion of this paper supports the view of some existing literature, and several policy recommendations are made based on the research findings.