Old is Gold: What influences Older Persons' Engagement in Income-generating Activities in Uganda?

Abstract

The paper discusses the engagement of older persons in income-generating activities in Uganda and examines factors that influence this involvement. Analysis is based on primary data collected from four randomly selected districts and one purposefully selected urban area of Uganda. A sample of 605 older males and females is used. Logistic regression is used in the analysis of factors influencing the engagement. Information from Focus Group Discussions and Key Informants is used to supplement the findings of the quantitative results. Findings indicate that relatively younger older persons (60-79) were more likely to be engaged in income-generating activities than their older counterparts (80 and over). In comparison with no education, older persons with primary and higher education were more likely to be engaged in income-generation. The elderly who owned any means of transport and domestic animals were more likely to be engaged in income-generation than those who did not own any transport facility and domestic livestock respectively. The elderly with feet joint ill-health were less likely to be involved in income-generation than their counterparts without such health challenge. The conclusion is that age, education, feet health status and ownership of domestic livestock and transport facility influenced engagement in income-generating activities.