Perceived health problems in elderly residents of Jordan.

Jordan is typical of many developing countries in that the improving health services have significantly reduced child and infant mortality. A high fertility rate coupled with this reduction in mortality has increased the numbers of those living to adulthood and into old age. This paper identifies, in broad terms, areas where service delivery might be considered for implementation thereby improving the well-being in the elderly person. 965 residents of Jordan 55 to 95 years of age were sampled from Amman, Irbid and the surrounding suburbs. All subjects were designated, from a medical examination, as having or not having a chronic illness. Student's t-test comparing the Jordan subjects' mean scores on the six dimensions of the NHP with previously reported data suggested that although the instrument was faithfully translated there might exist significant cultural differences. Similarly, differences between males and females suggested a possible gender bias in the interpretation of the items. All chronically ill subject groupings had higher (poorer) mean scores on all dimensions. Healthy elderly males and females have a better perceived well-being than their chronically ill counterparts.