Event

The Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension will host a seminar entitled " Labour Productivity, Nutrition and Housing Statuses among Low-Income Rural Elderly in Trinidad". This presenation will be held on Thursday 26th February, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. in Room E, Dudley Huggins Building, FSA. . Mrs. Isabella Francis-Granderson, will be the feature speaker at this event.

Abstract: 

This dissertation determined if nutritional status, health status and housing status influence levels of labour productivity among the low-income rural elderly in Trinidad.  Specifically the study sought to identify factors determining levels of labour productivity, nutrition, health and housing among low income rural elderly with regard to socioeconomic, demographic and personal characteristics, and secondly to determine the type of community and nutrition extension services needed by low-income rural elderly, and their ability to pay for these services.  Using a three-stage sampling design, a structured questionnaire, 300 Old Age Pensioners were personally interviewed from counties St Andrew and St David from the sub-districts of Valencia, Manzanilla and Toco/Matelot, enrolled with the Ministry of Social Development, Social Welfare Division in Sangre Grande.  The sample comprised of 155 women, 145 men, aged 65 to 103 years, mean age 75.88.  The main predictors that influenced levels of labour productivity among the respondents were age, employment status, living alone, sex and physical component summary (PCS) scores.  These coefficients were significant at p-value = <0.05 percent significance levels (.046, .000, .054, .000, .000 respectively).  The results indicate that the young-old respondents, being male, presently working, living alone and high PCS scores are the factors that positively influence levels of labour productivity among low-income rural elderly.  Level of aspiration was also found to be a significant predictor of the respondents physical and mental health status, diet quality and housing quality.  The study concluded that the respondents’ age, employment status, living alone, gender, and PCS scores were the only useful predictors that determined levels of labour productivity among low-income rural elderly in Trinidad.   

Keywords:  Trinidad, Labour Productivity, Nutrition, Health and Housing.