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Aging and Health: An Examination of Differences between Older Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal People*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2010

Kathi Wilson ,
Mark W. Rosenberg ,
Sylvia Abonyi  and
Robert Lovelace
Kathi Wilson*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto Mississauga
Mark W. Rosenberg
Affiliation:
Queen’s University
Sylvia Abonyi
Affiliation:
University of Saskatchewan
Robert Lovelace
Affiliation:
Fleming College
*
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Kathi Wilson, Ph.D., Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. N., Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6 (kathi.wilson@utoronto.ca)
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Abstract

The Aboriginal population in Canada, much younger than the general population, has experienced a trend towards aging over the past decade. Using data from the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) and the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), this article examines differences in health status and the determinants of health and health care use between the 55-and-older Aboriginal population and non-Aboriginal population. The results show that the older Aboriginal population is unhealthier than the non-Aboriginal population across all age groups; differences in health status, however, appear to converge as age increases. Among those aged 55 to 64, 7 per cent of the Aboriginal population report three or more chronic conditions compared with 2 per cent of the non-Aboriginal population. Yet, among those aged 75 and older, 51 per cent of the Aboriginal population report three or more chronic conditions in comparison with 23 per cent of the non-Aboriginal population.

Résumé

La population autochtone au Canada, beaucoup plus jeune que la population générale, a connu une tendance au vieillissement depuis les dix dernières années. Utilisant les données de l’Enquete auprès des peuples autochtones de 2001 (EAPA) et l’Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes (ESCC) de 2000/2001, cet article examine les différences dans l’état de santé et les déterminants de la santé et l’utilisation de soins de santé entre la population autochtone de 55 ans et plus et la population non-autochtone. Les résultats montrent que la population plus âgée autochtone est plus malsaine que la population non-autochtone parmi tous les groupes d’âge; cependant, les différences dans l’état de santé entre les groupes d’âge semblent converger avec l’augmentation de l’âge. Parmi personnes âgées de 55 à 64 ans, 7 pour cent de la population autochtone rapport trois ou plusieurs conditions chroniques par rapport à 2 pour cent de la population non-autochtone. Pourtant, parmi personnes âgées de 75 et plus, 51 pour cent de la population autochtone rapport trois ou plusieurs conditions chroniques par rapport à 23 pour cent de la population non-autochtone.

Keywords

peuples autochtonesétat de santéutilisation de soins de santéAboriginal peoplehealth statushealth care use
Type
Special SEDAP Section: Canada’s Vulnerable Older Populations / Section spéciale SEDAP: Les Populations âgées vulnérables du Canada: Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , September 2010 , pp. 369 - 382
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2010

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Footnotes

*

Funding for this research project was provided by the Institute of Aboriginal People’s’ Health – Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and SEDAP-II (Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population), a major collaborative research initiative funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

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