Assessment of morbidity pattern, quality of life and awareness of government facilities among elderly population in South India

Abstract

Background:This study was done to assess the determinants of morbidity pattern, quality of life (QoL) and awareness of elderly about various government schemes and social security legislations.Materials and Methods:Data was collected by house to house survey among participants aged 60 years and above using a structured interview schedule. The QoL was assessed using Kannada version of WHOQOL-BREF instrument following language validation.Results:Mean age of 206 participants was 69.6±6.7 years. Half of them were males and majority were graduates 54 (26.2%). Morbidity was present among 194 (94.2%) participants (95% CI 89.5–98.9%), most common being hypertension 96 (46.6%). Morbid conditions were seen more among less educated (P = 0.007). Only 68 (33%) were under medical insurance coverage, 17 (8.3%) were under old age government pension and 74 (35.9%) were under retirement pension scheme. Social relationships, psychological health and environmental domain scores were associated with socio-economic status. Social relationship domain score was significantly better among well educated participants and those without morbidities. Level of ambulation was significantly associated with QoL scores in all domains (P < 0.001). Majority of the participants 132 (64.1%) had moderate level of awareness about government facilities for senior citizens. Awareness level was significantly better among males (P < 0.001), well educated (P < 0.001), better socio-economic status respondents (P < 0.001) and those currently working (P = 0.026).Conclusion:Health status of elderly needs improvement which would also improve their QoL. Awareness about various government schemes needs to be enhanced to improve its utilization. The results of this study are expected to help policy makers in planning comprehensive services for elderly residing in this area.

Morbidity pattern and health seeking behaviour of the geriatric population in a rural area of district Faridabad, Haryana: a cross-sectional study

“…[17][18][19] The prevalence of hypertension in our study was 49% which is similar to the findings of Hameed et al in Karnataka and Joseph et al in South India. 10,15 The prevalence of cataract in our study was 30% which is comparable to the study findings of Sharma et al 12 Few studies however have reported lower prevalence of morbidities as compared to our study. A study conducted in southern rural area of Pondicherry by Sudarshan et al, found that hypertension was prevalent in 14.2% subjects, arthritis in 12.3% subjects and similarly magnitude of other morbidities was quite low.…”

“…[12][13][14] The mean number of morbidities in our study was 2.72±1.72 which is comparable to the study findings of Jospeh et al who reported a mean of 2.4±1.2 in southern India. 15 Our study reported that musculoskeletal disorders were the most prevalent morbidity among elderly with a prevalence of 57.3%. A study conducted in Shimla hills by Sharma et al also reported a similar finding that musculoskeletal problems were the most prevalent morbidity (56.5%).…”

Community-oriented Primary Care Services Model: Can it improve Morbidity Status in India? An Impact Evaluation Study

“…18 In our present study, the sociodemographic dominance of predominant Muslim population in the study area (52.5%) coupled with only literates (55.8%) and enough population belonging to backward castes (SC/ST ± OBC, 21.6%) explains the significant presence of morbid conditions in our study area just similar to other studies. [8][9][10][11]18,19 Our study findings also corroborate with other studies in the literature, [24][25][26] which however suggests that although PHC is the best approach to achieving universal health coverage 24,25 and a fundamental requirement for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, 22,24 its real positive impact on health status is questionable. Unfortunately, the concept of PHC was created at AlmaAta in 1978, and many countries have failed to establish effective PHC.…”

“…7 It has been evident from the literature that many factors influence morbidity patterns in rural areas as catered by a health center or hospital, such as demographic, social, household, and economic. [8][9][10][11] Studies conducted in different states of India 12-17 also indicate that the case rate is higher not only for the 18 to 45 years age group but also for preschool children, adolescents, and the elderly in rural areas. 18 Moreover, it has been seen that factors, such as cleanliness of the premises, face-lift, and clean toilet with privacy and availability of safe drinking water facilities can improve client satisfaction in rural health care delivery systems.…”

Social Security Measures for Elderly Population in Delhi, India: Awareness, Utilization and Barriers

“…This is lower than figures reported by Joseph N et al, in their study conducted in Mangalore city. The possible reasons could be higher literacy rate of subjects in that study and rural urban differentials [8].…”