A Study on Workforce Participation and Healthcare Seeking Behaviour of Elderly in Kerala

Abstract

This study attempts to explore the Workforce Participation and Healthcare newlineSeeking Behaviour of Elderly in Kerala. It has explored the trends and patterns of newlineelderly labour force participation (LFP) in Kerala and the factors determining it newlineusing both secondary and primary data. While the National Sample Survey Office newline(NSSO) data (period 1983 to 2011-12) is used to find out the broad trends and newlinechanging patterns of elderly LFP rate, primary data is used to provide an in-depth newlineanalysis of the factors determining their LFP in Kerala. Moreover, this study newlineexamines the health conditions, medication and hospitalization preference newlinebehaviour of aged population in Kerala by exploring the determinants of newlinemedication and hospital preferences of elderly in Kerala using primary data. The newlineprimary data is collected using a stratified random sampling methods, covering newlinethree districts of Kerala viz., Kozhikode, Ernakulum and Trivandrum, with a total newlinesample of 801 households and 1075 elderly respondents. This primary survey is newlinealso supplemented by another survey of Old Age Homes (OAHs) in these sample newlinedistricts, to collect a few important quantitative and qualitative information newlineregarding the living and working condition of elderly. The major findings of the newlinethesis suggest that elderly LFPR is high in Kerala. At the macro level, it is mainly newlinedue to the ongoing structural transformation process owning to agricultural newlinetransformation, which has very close connection with the changing social and newlinefamily structure. Whereas, at the micro level (at household and individual levels), newlinev newlineincidence of poverty and old age income insecurity are the major determining newlinefactors which compel the elderly of Kerala to participate in the labour market. As a newlinerelatively higher percentage of elderly population are engaged in informal sector newlinejobs (mostly in the low paid and low skilled service sectors as either self-employed newlineor causal labour activities like rickshaw pulling, auto rickshaw driving, small kiosks newlineand street vending etc.), provision of appropriat