Aging assessment in Cuba: case study

Abstract

This work presents a research study on the aging of the population in the municipality of Florencia, the smallest in territory in Ciego de Ávila province. Such municipality is the most aged in this territory and it also presents worrying high aging rates, taking one of the first places nationwide. The goal is to propose to the municipal government a strategy that contributes to the improvement of the conditions of the elderly population. Such strategy should consider some demographic variables: fecundity, aging, and migrations. The adopted methodology was intervention-action-participation. It means that those involved in the research process work on the problems and promote transformations. The population under study was a group of 19,280 inhabitants of the territory, which corresponds to the research problem. The result is a strategy proposal to the local government to counteract the negative effects highlighted by the presented demographic variables and the following conclusions that were drawn. In the case of Florencia, fecundity rates below replacement level have been observed for more than three decades. There, life expectancy is high, the mortality rate is low, and the external net migration rate is negative. All of the above have caused a high aging index.

Keywords

• aging
• migrations
• fecundity
• population decline
• elderly population