Health profile of Francophone seniors in Manitoba: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Year:

2016

Email:

ngueye@ustboniface.ca

Project ID:

160603

Approved Project Status:

Complete

Project Summary

The proportion of seniors in the Francophone population of Manitoba has increased significantly over the years. This population of seniors living in minority settings has a very precarious socio-economic and linguistic profile, making them very vulnerable with regards to their health and health services. However, very few studies are done on the health profile and social aspects of Francophones in Manitoba, let alone Franco-Manitobans seniors. Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) provide a good opportunity to study the health and social aspects of Francophone seniors in Manitoba. In addition, we will examine how social aspects, such as social participation, social support and the social network, affect their health.

Project Findings

A profile of French-speaking seniors, in comparison with the profile of English-speaking seniors in Manitoba, was produced, using data from the first wave of the CLSA. The definition of a Francophone is: an individual whose mother tongue, the official language most spoken at home or the language with which they can carry on a conversation is French, or French and another language. The sample is made up of 2,800 Manitobans aged 65 and over, 7.7% of whom are Francophones. The comparison of these measurements in relation to the two groups was made using the chi-square test or the Fisher exact test for qualitative variables, and the Student t test. All analyzes were weighted with the variable.