Disparities in Health, Wealth, and Well-Being among Elderly in Developing Countries: Evidence from the Indonesia Family Life Survey

Firman Witoelar, World Bank Group
John Strauss, University of Southern California
Bondan Sikoki, SurveyMETER

The complex relationship between aging and inequality is inextricably linked to the complex relationship between health, wealth, and well-being of the elderly. Inequalities in health may reflect and at the same time reinforce inequalities in other domain including wealth. This paper looks at the inter-relationships between health, wealth, and well being of the elderly in the context of a developing country, using data from four waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey that span over 14 years. Using longitudinal data allow us to incorporate some dynamics into our analysis of the two-way relationships between wealth and health. Recognizing the multi-dimensionality of health, we look at a number of health measures collected in the IFLS, including subjective measures such as the self-reported general health status, ADL/IADL, a version of the CES-D measure of depression, and objective health measures such as hemoglobin levels, body mass indices, and a measure of cognitive capability.