Prevalence of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in the Norwegian mother andchild cohort study

Date

2013

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

BMC Public Health

Abstract

Description

Our aim was to assess the prevalence and demographic and socioeconomic correlates of chronicmorbidity in the elderly population of transitional Kosovo.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kosovo in 2011 including a representative sample of 1890individuals aged ⠥65 years (949 men, mean age 73 ± 6 years; 941 women, mean age 74 ± 7 years; response rate:83%). A structured questionnaire inquired about the presence and the number of self-reported chronic diseasesamong elderly people, and their access to medical care. Demographic and socioeconomic data were also collected.Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association of demographic and socioeconomic characteristicswith chronic conditions.Results: In this nationwide population-based sample in Kosovo, 42% of elderly people were unable to accessmedical care, of whom 88% due to unaffordable costs. About 83% of the elderly people reported at least onechronic condition (63% cardiovascular diseases), and 45% had at least two chronic diseases. In multivariableadjusted models, factors associated with the presence of chronic conditions and/or multimorbidity were female sex,older age, self-perceived poverty and the inability to access medical care.Conclusion: This study provides important evidence on the magnitude and distribution of chronic conditionsamong the elderly population of Kosovo. Our findings suggest that, in this sample of elderly people from Kosovo,the oldest-old (especially women) and the poor endure the vast majority of chronic conditions. These findingspoint to the urgent need to establish a social health insurance scheme including the marginalized segments ofelderly people in this transitional country.

Keywords

International Resources, Norway, Statistics, Statistics -- Child abuse

Citation

DOI