Health and living arrangements among older women: does living alone increase the risk of illness?

This study compares the physical, mental, and functional health of aged women living alone to those living with a husband and to those living with others, and considers whether living arrangements lead to health problems or if health problems influence the choice of living arrangements. Data were collected in 1984 during the first wave of a prospective study of 807 women 65 years or older living in an area consisting of 20 contiguous census tracts in Baltimore, MD. Multivariate analyses demonstrate no particular disadvantage associated with living alone for this group of elderly women. After controlling for age and socioeconomic status, analyses indicate that it is those living with persons other than their husbands who are most impaired. In addition, poor health does not appear to result from living arrangement; rather, those who are sickest choose to live with others because of health problems.