Providing an income boost to poor, aging residents of developing nations can significantly improve their health, particularly in terms of lung function and memory, according to a study released Monday.
Researchers with the USC Price School of Public Policy and USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research, in conjunction with the Santa Monica- based RAND Corp., studied residents aged 70 and older of two cities in the Mexican state of Yucatan. One group was given $67 a month, representing a roughly 44 percent increase in their monthly income. The other group was not given any additional income.
After six months, the residents given the income boost showed marked improvement in lung function and memory, according to the researchers. The residents spent a large portion of the extra money on medical care and food, the study found.
“Both state and national governments in Mexico, like those throughout Latin America, have expanded pension programs in recent years,” said study co- author Emma Aguila, an assistant professor in the Price School of Public Policy. “This study shows that such programs can benefit greatly the growing older population in Mexico and developing nations facing similar demographic challenges.”
The study’s authors noted that Mexico — like other low- to middle- income nations — is seeing rapid growth in its older population, and those residents are far more likely to be living in poverty than the young. Between 2000 and 2050, the percentage of Mexicans over age 65 is expected to jump to 22 percent, up from 5 percent.
— City News Service