Self-reported health and function status of elderly Turkish immigrants in Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract

This study analyses the self-reported health and functional status of elderly Turkish immigrants in Copenhagen. One hundred and sixteen Turkish immigrants aged 55 and over were interviewed at home about their health problems and their ability to perform a number of daily activities. Only one-third of the respondents reported having no chronic illness, while chronic arthritis was the one mentioned most frequently (41%). Almost 2/3 of the respondents reported having pains in their locomotor systems. Women are over-represented, but the differences are not statistically significant. As regards the 11 daily activities in the questionnaire, only 39 of the respondents reported being able to perform all of them without difficulty. The article suggests some possible explanations for the results and suggests future areas for research.