Social Profile Of The Aged In An Urban Population

Abstract

Research Problem: What is the socio-demographic profile of urban aged population in Aligarh city. Objectives: i) To describe the socio-demographic profile of the aged population in an urban area, ii) To describe the attitude of these people. Design:Cross-sectional study. Setting : Urban areas of Aligarh city. Participants : 3951 persons aged 60 years and above Study Variables: Socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes. Statistical Analysis : By proportions. Result: 15% of the total  stimated elderly population covering all 10 sectors of Aligarh city was studied. The majority ofthe elderly (72.4%) belonged to 60-70 years age group. Most of them (77.2%) were illiterate, 61.6% belonged to lower socio-economic classes (IV & V), 78.1 % lived in joint families. 39.6% of the aged felt that they were not being given due respect by family members. Nearly half of them had an indifferent or unhappy attitude towards life. Conclusion: The socio-demographic characteristics of the aged are important and must be kept in mind for developing programs to assist them in living as respectful senior citizens.