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The relation between social pensions and health among poor older individuals in Colombia: a qualitative study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2020

Philipp Hessel Open the ORCID record for Philipp Hessel [Opens in a new window] ,
Laura C. López Open the ORCID record for Laura C. López [Opens in a new window] ,
Ivonne Ordóñez-Monak Open the ORCID record for Ivonne Ordóñez-Monak [Opens in a new window]  and
Catalina González-Uribe Open the ORCID record for Catalina González-Uribe [Opens in a new window]
Philipp Hessel*
Affiliation:
Alberto Lleras Camargo School of Government, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
Laura C. López
Affiliation:
Alberto Lleras Camargo School of Government, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
Ivonne Ordóñez-Monak
Affiliation:
Faculty of Economics, Universidad Santo Tomás, Bogotá, Colombia Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
Catalina González-Uribe
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

We assessed the relation between social pension benefits and health among poor older individuals in Colombia based on a qualitative case study (N = 51) using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Participants were beneficiaries of the Colombia Mayor social pension programme, recruited through snowball sampling in one rural and one urban area. Participants reported using cash benefits mainly for purchasing essential foods and medicines, as well as for paying for household utilities and satisfying personal needs. Beneficiaries of the programme view the latter as being positively associated with their health as it not only satisfies material needs but also increases their sense of autonomy, emotional wellbeing and also promotes a positive and cheerful attitude. Despite most beneficiaries perceiving the programme as positively associated with their health and wellbeing, results also highlight the importance of the various individual- as well as contextual-level factors in determining the relation between social pensions and health.

Keywords

social pensionageinghealthColombiaqualitative
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 42 , Issue 5 , May 2022 , pp. 1159 - 1175
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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