Associations of informal employment and age with subjective and somatic health among older adults

Examining the pathways through social support and Loneliness

Abstract

This study examined whether social support and loneliness can function as pathways from informal employment and age to subjective and somatic health. The sample consists of 465 older adults (Meanage = 74.18 ± 9.42) from rural communities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were collected using structured instruments in individual households and subjected to path analyses. In the overall model, age was significant on subjective and somatic health but not informal employment. Only the indirect associations of age with subjective and somatic health were significant. Specifically, advancing age was associated with low social support, which in turn was associated with high loneliness feelings and then poor subjective and somatic health. Ageing and healthcare policies targeting increased social support and mitigation of loneliness in families and communities can be beneficial to lessen the health problems associated with advancing age.