The province of Guimaras had a total population of 187,842 based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH). The household population of 187,576 comprised 99.86% of the total population recorded as of the time of census-taking.

Of the 187,576 total household population in Guimaras, 22,130 individuals (11.80%) were experiencing functional difficulties, most of them were females (55.59%) with a gender gap of 11.18 percentage points from their male counterparts, which comprised 44.41%.

Functional difficulty affecting an individual’s ability to perform daily activities is categorized into various types including difficulty in seeing even if wearing glasses, hearing even if using a hearing aid, walking/climbing steps, remembering/concentrating, self-caring (washing all over/dressing), and difficulty in communicating.

Among the six categories of functional difficulty, the highest proportion was among individuals having difficulty seeing even if wearing glasses, accounting for 43.43% of the total household population with functional difficulty, which affected more females (55.59%) than males (44.41%).

Moreover, functional difficulty walking/climbing stairs ranked second, comprising 16.07% that affected more females (8.51%) than males (7.56%) with a slim gender gap of 0.95 percentage points, while difficulty in remembering/concentrating (14.42%) and hearing even when using a hearing aid (14.23%) followed, which affected more females than males. Meanwhile, challenges related to self-care and communication were the least prevalent, at 6.02% and 5.82%, respectively. The difficulty in communicating was experienced more by males (2.99%) than females (2.83%).

In terms of severity, the Guimaras household population with mild difficulty accounted for the bulk which comprised 80.75% dominated by females, followed by those with moderate difficulty, which accounted for 12.77%, female dominance, and those with severe difficulty had the least with 6.48% share, still dominated by females.

The percentage distribution of functional difficulty by sex in Guimaras province based on the 2020 CPH result revealed that female household members got a higher proportion, accounting for 55.59%, translating to 12,302 individuals. Meanwhile, males comprised 44.41%, equivalent to 9,828 individuals.

Of the 12,302 total female household population with functional difficulties, 25.05% had difficulty in seeing even if wearing glasses, followed by those with difficulty walking/climbing steps comprising 8.51%, closely followed by those with difficulty in remembering/concentrating, and hearing even if using a hearing aid with 8.45% and 7.59%, respectively. Furthermore, the household population with challenges in self-caring (washing all over/dressing) and communicating had lesser percentages of 3.15% and 2.83%, respectively.

Figure 2 shows the percentage distribution of the Guimaras household population with functional difficulties, wherein males had less than females, accounting for 44.41% and 55.59%, respectively.

Of the total 9,828 males (44.41%) experiencing functional difficulties, 18.37% had difficulty in seeing even if wearing glasses, 7.56% had difficulty in walking/climbing steps, 6.65% with hearing impairment even if using a hearing aid, and 5.97% had difficulty in remembering/concentrating.

Moreover, the household population with challenges in self-caring (washing all over/dressing), and communicating had lesser percentages of 2.87% and 2.99%, respectively.

Females in the labor force (15-64 years old) were more likely to have mild functional difficulties than males, with a gender gap of 7.89 percentage points, while for moderate and severe cases, males outnumbered females.

Among male and female household populations with functional difficulties for age groups 65 and over, females outnumbered males by a gender gap of 8.83 percentage points. However, for the younger age group 5-14, more males have severe difficulties for mild to moderate, but for severe functional difficulty, the number of females was higher than males.

Top 3 Functional Difficulty by Age group

The top three functional difficulties experienced by household population in Guimaras province which accounted for 73.92% of the provincial total, included having trouble seeing even if wearing glasses, walking/climbing steps, and remembering/concentrating which affected an individual’s ability to execute daily activities. Cases were higher among females than males in all levels of severity.

The mild functional difficulty seeing even if wearing glasses, was higher among females than males in all age groups except for those aged 5-9, in which cases were higher among males. Interestingly, cases for both sexes continued to rise until they reached their peak among age groups 60-64, and cases reduced among the household population aged 70-79 but finally went up among age group 80 years old and over, wherein cases among females are more than double that of males.

While females with difficulty walking/climbing steps had higher cases among men in all levels of severity, cases among males with mild difficulty were higher among age groups 5-59.

Moreover, the household population in Guimaras with functional difficulty remembering/concentrating from mild to severe cases was higher among females. Functional difficulty remembering/concentrating was experienced more by females than males aged 20 to 80 years and over, with a gender gap of 6.86% among those aged 80 and over.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The Philippine Statistics Authority conducted the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH) in September 2020, with 01 May 2020 as reference date.

The 2020 CPH was the 15th census of population and 7th census of housing that was undertaken in the Philippines since the first census in 1903. It was designed to take inventory of the total population and housing units in the country and collect information about their characteristics.

The Philippine Standard Geographic Codes as of April 2022 was used for the disaggregation of geographic levels of the 2020 CPH.

Age refers to the interval of time between a person’s date of birth and their last birthday prior to the census reference date, expressed in completed years or whole numbers.

Functional Difficulty is a limitation in performing daily activities due to impairments in seeing, walking, hearing, remembering, self-caring, or communicating.

Household is a social unit consisting of a person or a group of persons who sleep in the same housing unit and have a common arrangement in the preparation and consumption of food.

Household Population refers to all persons who are members of a household.

Mild is a level of functional difficulty where an individual experiences some limitations but can still perform daily tasks with minimal assistance.

Moderate is a level of functional difficulty where an individual faces noticeable challenges in performing daily activities and may require occasional support.

Severe is a level of functional difficulty where an individual experiences significant impairments, requiring substantial assistance or specialized care.

Severity is the extent or degree of difficulty an individual faces in carrying out daily activities due to functional impairments.

Sex is the biological and physiological reality of being male or female.