Self-Perceived Health of Older Adults in Mountainous Region: Prioritising the More Vulnerable Sub-Populations

Access to quality geriatric care is important for healthy older population. In the hills however, older adults’ healthcare access may be hypothesized to be challenged, among others, by difficult terrains, affecting the objective health and consequently their self-rated health (SRH). In this study, we analyse SRH of older adults in Hill States in Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) vis-à-vis the rest of India, focusing on the more vulnerable sub-populations. We use 75th Round NSS data collected by the National Statistical Office (NSO), India, during July 2017 - June, 2018. The study sample includes 42752 persons aged 60 years and above. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression procedures are used for analysis. Results show that older adults in the Hill States are more likely to report ‘poor’ SRH compared with their non-hill counterparts. ‘Females’ and ‘higher age’ older adults in the Hill States are particularly more likely to report poor SRH than their counterparts in the rest of India. Our findings are suggestive of prioritized healthcare for the more vulnerable older adults in the Hill States – females and higher age group older adults. Future studies may focus on older adults’ objective health and geriatric care access in the Hill States.