Table 1 Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of older adults by self-reported health status

Primary predictors

 Family support with various aspects of daily life

0.024^*

  No

193 (22.9)

124 (20.8)

69 (27.9)

  Yes

651 (77.1)

473 (79.2)

178 (72.1)

 Family assistance with activities of daily living

< 0.001^***

  No

456 (54.0)

286 (47.9)

170 (68.8)

  Yes

388 (46.0)

311 (52.1)

77 (31.2)

Control variables

 Age (mean ± SD)

68.0 ± 7.2

66.8 ± 6.8

70.8 ± 7.2

< 0.001^***

 Sex

0.443

  Male

468 (55.5)

326 (54.6)

142 (57.5)

  Female

376 (44.5)

271 (45.4)

105 (42.5)

 Marital status

< 0.001^***

  Married

644 (76.3)

485 (81.2)

159 (64.4)

  ^aWithout partner

200 (23.7)

112 (18.8)

88 (35.6)

 Education

0.066

  No education

469 (55.6)

347 (58.1)

122 (49.6)

  Non-formal education

284 (33.6)

190 (31.8)

93 (37.8)

  Formal education

91 (10.8)

60 (10.1)

31 (12.6)

 Religion

0.003^**

  Hindu

806 (95.5)

562 (94.1)

244 (98.8)

  Non-Hindu

38 (4.5)

35 (5.9)

3 (1.2)

 Ethnicity

0.004^**

  Upper or advantaged caste groups

129 (15.3)

82 (13.8)

47 (19.0)

  Dalit and religious minority caste groups

162 (19.2)

103 (17.2)

59 (23.9)

  Disadvantaged caste groups

553 (65.5)

412 (69.0)

141 (57.1)

 Occupation

0.025^*

  Unemployed

354 (41.9)

252 (42.2)

102 (41.3)

  Agriculture

166 (19.7)

122 (20.5)

44 (17.8)

  Business or employed

95 (11.3)

76 (12.7)

19 (7.7)

  Retired and others

229 (27.1)

147 (24.6)

82 (33.2)

 Family structure

0.321

  Nuclear

155 (18.2)

114 (19.1)

40 (16.2)

  Multigenerational

690 (81.8)

483 (80.9)

207 (83.8)

 District of residence

0.087

  Sunsari

435 (51.5)

278 (46.6)

131 (53.0)

  Morang

408 (48.5)

319 (53.4)

116 (47.0)

 Morbidity

< 0.001^***

  No morbidity

437 (51.8)

330 (55.3)

107 (43.3)

  Single morbidity

261 (30.9)

180 (30.1)

81 (32.8)

  Multiple morbidities

146 (17.3)

87 (14.6)

59 (23.9)