A cross sectional study to assess the modifiable risk factors and morbidity profile of elderly people in a village in tribal part of Maharashtra

Abstract

Background: Geriatrics population is an important part of the total community and comprises of about 7-8% of the whole population of one community. Since the expectation of life is also increasing steadily and quality of life being emphasized more & more in our country, the senior citizen group is getting importance day by day. The present study was carried to find the various social, economical and medical aspects related to geriatrics population in rural area. Methods: The community based cross sectional study was carried out at a village among 427 study subjects using pre-validated questionnaire. Data was collected regarding their health related problems, Pallor was seen for anemia. Data was analysed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: Majority of elderly population lies between the 60 to 70 years of population (84%). Joint pains followed by cataract, anemia were predominant among male subjects whereas anemia was found more in prevalence among female subjects followed by joint pains, cataract, hypertension and Diabetes. Conclusions: Existing geriatric healthcare setup needs to be strengthened and should be sensitised enough to consider such differential nature of geriatric concerns.

Unmet health needs of elderly: a community based cross-sectional study in rural areas of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu

“…their inability to work. 17,18 The inability status of elderly to work is a physiological phenomenon, but the consequences may lead to a state of financial dependency. Also, lack of individual income as reported by males (8%) and females (20%) could be taken as financial dependency.…”

Geriatric Healthcare Issues: A Public Health Perspective

“…13 In one of the studies, it was reported that anemia (51%), cataracts (54%), hypertension (26%), arthritis (56%), and chronic bronchitis (6%) were the main illnesses. 14 In another study, it was reported that the most common morbidity among the elderly was pain in the joints and joint stiffness, followed by dental and chewing problems, diminished visual acuity mainly due to cataract and refractive errors, and difficulty in hearing. It was also found that 61% of the people chewed tobacco, 33.3% of males were smokers and 28.7% regularly consumed alcohol.…”