Population Institute

ABSTRACT

Population ageing poses a global challenge to public health and social care systems, where older people increasingly experience functional difficulties and are at risk of late-life depression. This study examined the transitions in functional difficulties over time and their effects on depressive symptoms among older Filipinos using panel data from the Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Health in the Philippines (LSAHP), Waves 1 and 2. Transitions in functional difficulty from Wave 1 to Wave 2 were measured using the seven tasks from the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) indicator, categorized as stable (no functional difficulties at time points), incident (onset or development of functional difficulty), persistent (functional difficulty at both time points), or recovered (improvement from having functional difficulty). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the shortened 11-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale (range 0—22).

Findings indicate that incident and persistent functional difficulties significantly increased depressive symptoms among older Filipinos (incident: β = 2.64, p < .001; persistent: β = 2.50, p < .001). The association was stronger among older men than women in sex-stratified analyses (men: β = 3.72 and β = 4.24; women: β = 1.91 and β = 1.74; all p < .001). Moreover, older age, higher wealth index, better education, living with children or in other living arrangements, and rural residence were linked with lower depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of addressing the health-related challenges faced by older Filipinos and guiding targeted policies and programs to promote a holistic and context-based approach to healthy ageing in the country.

Keywords: older Filipinos, population ageing, functional difficulties, depressive symptoms, SDG 3–Good health and well-being