A Cross-Sectional Study of Common Health Problems of the Elderly

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 509-511
Author(s):  
Pranay Gandhi ◽  
◽  
Sunita Sharma ◽  
Prateek Gandhi
Author(s):  
K. Kriti Bhat ◽  
M. C. Yadavannavar

Background: With the increasing life expectancy, the population around the world is growing old at a higher rate. Ensuring their quality of life and addressing their health care needs is a major challenge ahead. Elderly women are more vulnerable and there is a dearth for information regarding their health problems in India. Therefore, this study was undertaken focusing on the health problems of rural elderly women. The objective of the study was to assess the morbidity pattern of rural elderly women.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area of Shri B M Patil Medical College, Vijayapura from November 2015 to February 2016. A house-to-house survey was done and 200 women aged ≥60 years were included in the study. They were interviewed using pretested and predesigned questionnaire after obtaining informed consent. Information regarding demographic profile, present or past illness, economic history and physical activity of daily living were collected. Analysis was done using SPSS v.16 and data was represented using proportions and percentages.Results: Majority of the participants were illiterate (96.4%). Most (83.6%) of them were financially dependent. Most common chronic illness was arthritis (73.3%) and visual problem (58.8%).Conclusions: Our study reveals majority of the elderly women are suffering from one or multiple chronic illnesses. As a matter of fact, there is an urgent need to develop better health care services for the elderly women residing in rural areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-41
Author(s):  
Archana Anil ◽  
Nimmy N John ◽  
Jaya Soorya B P ◽  
H Doddaya

Background: In the changing era of our community posing a challengeable situation to the senior support-needing population of the community, there is a need to know the different kinds of problems faced by the elderly. In the view of all these facts, this study was conducted to study the various health related problems among geriatrics. Objective: To study various health related problems in elderly population. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in May to August 2020 in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. 150 elderly (aged above 60 years) were interviewed using a predesigned questionnaire. Results: In the present study, 45.33% were males and 54.67% were females. Among the total elderly, 27.33% were illiterate, 56.00% had received primary education, and 14.00% had received secondary education while only 2.67% had received education up to the graduate level. The common health problems elderly was decreased vision (35.33%), followed by arthritis (13.33%), hearing problems (12.00%), urinary problems (8.00%), diabetes(6.00%), weight loss (4.67%), dental problems (4.00%), Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3.33%), Hypertension (3.00%), asthma and anaemia with (2.67%) each, fatty liver and cancer with (2.00%) each and Ischemic heart disease (0.67%) . Conclusion: The study highlights the common health problems the elderly face. In this study, it was found that the most prevalent health problem among geriatrics was vision impairment followed by arthritis and hearing impairment. Keywords: Geriatrics; visual impairment; Health problems; Arthritis; Ageing.


Author(s):  
Karthikeyan Kulothungan ◽  
Tamilarasan M. ◽  
D. Rock Britto ◽  
T. SriRanganathan ◽  
V. SriAndaal

Background: Aging is a complex process that occurs by an increase in cellular injury that occurs at the biological level over a period. These injuries lead to decline in the capacity of the individual due to a gradual reduction in physiological reserves. The objectives of the study were to estimate the prevalence of common physical health problems and to assess the effect of aging influencing them among the geriatric population.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 9 randomly selected wards among 400 elderly subjects of aged 60 years or above by using probability proportionate to size (PPS) sampling method in urban residents of Perambalur municipality, Perambalur district, Tamil Nadu using semi structured questionnaire. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 16.0.Results: The mean age of the study population was 71.28±7.85. Three-fourths of the study subjects were not doing any work and the majority of them (80%) was living with family members and looked after by their family members (88%). In our study, it was found that the most prevalent common physical health problem among the geriatric population was dental diseases (85.75%) followed by diseases of the locomotor system (81.75%). Almost 99% of the elderly have at least a single system involvement.Conclusions: The preventive and rehabilitative services planned by the government have to be elder-friendly. To improve the health status of the elderly various health schemes, policies and programs can be designed based on the study findings. 


2019 ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
Vuong Diem Khanh Doan ◽  
Ngoc Minh Chau Ho ◽  
Thi Van Ngo ◽  
Thi Bao Nga Phan ◽  
Thi Hong Phan Nguyen

Background: Vietnam is entering the stage of aging population; as a result, the quality of life (QOL) of the elderly is really a matter of concern. There is a great deal of research on the quality of life of the elderly while Vietnam witnesses a lack of research on this topic, especially on how physical and social activities have impact on QOL of the elderly. Objectives: (1) To describe the situation of participation in physical, social activities and QOL of the elderly residing in Truong An Ward, Hue city. (2) To examine the association between physical, social activities and QOL among participants. Methodology: This study used cross-sectional study design. A total sample of 420 people aged 60 and above in Truong An Ward, Hue city were interviewd. The SF36 was used to measure the QOL of participants. Results: Percentage of the elderly taking part in physical activity were 66%. 49% reported having the habit of taking part in social activities. The majority of the elderly get their QOL level in three health fields, namely physical, mental and general health at above average. (56.0, 60.7 and 60.8 respectively). There were significant associations between physical activities, social activities and QOL among participants. Conclusion: The percentage of the elderly taking part in physical and social activities were still low. Besides, QOL of the elderly at the research location was not really high. It’s important to encourage the elderly taking part in physical and social activities to improve their quality of life. Key words: Physical activities, social activities, QOL, the elderly


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e041755
Author(s):  
Srinivas Marmamula ◽  
Satya Brahmanandam Modepalli ◽  
Thirupathi Reddy Kumbham ◽  
Rajesh Challa ◽  
Jill E Keeffe

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of disabilities (vision, hearing, mobility, cognitive, self-care and communication) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the elderly population in two districts in Telangana, India.DesignPopulation-based cross-sectional study using a cluster random sampling method to select the study clusters.SettingElderly population in Khammam and Warangal districts were recruited. Detailed interviews were conducted by trained community health workers. Personal and demographic information such as age, gender, level of education and a self-report of NCDs was collected. The Washington Disability Questionnaire was administered to assess the presence of disabilities.Participants1821 participants aged ≥60 years, 54.5% were women, and 73.3% had no education.Primary outcome measurePrevalence of disabilities and NCDs.ResultsOverall, the prevalence of at least disability was 20.3% (95% CI 16.3 to 24.9). The prevalence of self- reported disabilities were: seeing (5.9%; 95% CI 4.4 to 7.8), mobility (12.8%; 95% CI 9.7 to 16.8), hearing (3.6%; 95% CI 2.7 to 4.8), cognition (4.8%; 95% CI 3.5 to 6.7), self-care (3.3%; 95% CI 2.3 to 4.7) and communication (1.8%; 95% CI 1.2 to 2.6). Overall, the prevalence of at least one NCD was 34.2% (95% CI 30.9 to 37.7). Hypertension was the most common systemic condition (25.4%; 95% CI 22.4 to 28.7), followed by diabetes (9.0%; 95% CI 7.3 to 11.0), and body pains (muscle-skeletal) (9.9%; 95% CI 8.1 to 12.2).ConclusionEvery fifth elderly person in the districts of Khammam and Warangal in Telangana had at least one self-reported disability. Besides, a third of the elderly had at least one NCD. There is a definite need to develop comprehensive public health strategies to address disabilities and NCDs in Telangana.


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 679-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna Fernanda do Nascimento Jacinto de Souza ◽  
Letícia Marín-León

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether food insecurity is associated with the demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health conditions of the elderly. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 427 elderly (³60 years) from Campinas, São Paulo; half were users of a government-run soup kitchen and the others, their neighbors of the same sex. Food insecurity was measured by the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Univariate multinomial logistic regression was used for calculating the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval to measure the association between the independent variables and food insecurity. Variables with p<0.20 were included in a multinomial model, and only those with p<0.05 remained. RESULTS: Most respondents (63.2%) were males; 15.2% and 6.6% were experiencing mild and moderate/severe food insecurity, respectively. The final model, adjusted for sex and age, showed that elderly with a total family income ≤2 minimum salaries (OR=3.41, 95%CI=1.27-9.14), who did not have a job (OR=2.95, 95%CI=1.23-7.06), and who were obese (OR=2.01, 95%CI=1.04-3.87) were more likely to be mildly food insecure. Elderly with cancer (OR=4.13, 95%CI=1.21-14.0) and those hospitalized in the past year (OR=3.16, 95%CI=1.23-8.11) were more likely to be moderately/severely food insecure. Finally, elderly living in unfinished houses (OR=2.71; and OR=2.92) and who did not consume fruits (OR=2.95 and OR=4.11) or meats daily (OR=2.04 and OR=3.83) were more likely to be mildly and moderately/severely food insecure. CONCLUSION: Food insecure elderly are more likely to have chronic diseases, poor nutritional status, and poor socioeconomic condition. Therefore, the welfare programs should expand the number of soup kitchens and develop other strategies to assure adequate nutrition to these elderly.


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