INTRODUCTION:

Population is ageing in India. Health care and other needs associated with ageing have risen². Old age is associated with decline in physical, physiological and cognitive function affecting the quality of life of the elderly population. To cope up with this burden appropriate and timely intervention is required based on the situational analysis of the health problems faced by the aged population³.

According to Population Census 2011, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons aged 60 years or above in India⁴. With a rapidly ageing population, a major public health concern is the increasing proportion of the population that is at higher risk of acquiring disabilities that affect independence, such as reduced mobility, vision loss, hearing loss and dementia. Health status is an important factor that has a significant impact on the quality of life of an elderly population. Health problem screening can assist in the timely provision of healthcare services to older adults with declining function and improve their quality of life⁵. The objective of the present study was to identify the major health problems among elderly.

OBJECTIVES:

To identify the health problems among elderly residing in a rural community of Ernakulam district

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A community-based house to house survey was conducted to identify the health problems of elderly population residing in a selected rural community of Ernakulam district. 340 elderly aged 60 years and above were included in the study. Convenient sampling technique was used and data regarding health problems was collected using interview method. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.

RESULTS:

Section A: Distribution of demographic variables of elderly

Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of demographic variables of elderly n=340

Sl. No.	Demographic Variables	Frequency (f)	%
1	Age in years
	a. <68	196	57.6
	b. > 68	144	42.4
2	Gender
	a. Male	163	47.9
	b. Female	177	52.1
3	Marital Status
	a. Married	272	80
	b. Unmarried	68	20
4	Living Status
	a. Living alone	10	2.9
	b. Living with relatives	295	86.8
	c. Living with spouse	35	10.3
5	Health problems
	a. Yes	211	62.1
	b. No	129	37.9
6	Regular medications
	a. Yes	92	27.1
	b. No	248	72.9

Table 1 shows that among the 340 elderly, majority (57.6%) were in the age group below 68 years. Nearly half of the subjects (52.1%) were females. Majority of subjects (80%) were married and (86.8%) were living with their relatives. More than half of the elderly (62.1%) were having health problems and 27.1% were on regular medications.

Section B: Health problems among elderly.

Table 2: Frequency and percentage distribution of health problems among elderly n=340

Sl. No.	Health Problems among elderly	Frequency (f)	%
1	Problems of vision	114	33.5
2	Hypertension	81	23.8
3	Coronary Artery Disease	18	5.3
4	Diabetes mellitus	74	21.8
5	Hearing problems	69	20.3
6	Musculoskeletal problems	83	24.4
7	COPD	11	3.2
8	Bronchial Asthma	8	2.4
9	Stroke	6	1.8
10	Sleep disturbances	138	40.6
11	Alcoholism	34	10.0
12	Smoking	41	12.1
13	Inability to perform ADL independently	14	4.1

Table 2 shows that the major health problems among elderly were sleep disturbances (40.6%), problems of vision (33.5%), musculoskeletal problems (24.4%), hypertension (23.8%), diabetes mellitus (21.8%) and hearing problems (20.3%). 4.1% of elderly were having difficulty to perform their activities of daily living, measured by Katz Index of activities of daily living Scale⁶.

DISCUSSION:

The present study revealed that 40.6% of elderly were having sleep disturbances. A similar study conducted to assess the sleep disorders in the older adults, showed that approximately 50% of older adults complain of difficulty sleeping. Poor sleep results in increased risk of significant morbidity and mortality. Medical conditions, emotional disturbances, medication, insomnia and primary sleep disorders can result sleep disturbances among elderly⁷.

Another significant problem identified in the present study was problems of vision (33.5%) and hearing problems (20.3%). A study conducted to assess visual impairment among elderly in South India, showed that 56.9% had visual impairment and over 80% of the visual impairment was due to avoidable causes including cataract (57.1%) and uncorrected refractive errors (26.4%)⁸. Another study conducted to assess the Self-reported hearing problems among older adults showed that the prevalence of self-reported hearing problems was 37.1%⁹. Evidence suggests that untreated hearing impairment in old age can have extensive adverse effects on the patient’s mental, physical, and social well-being¹⁰.

Musculoskeletal problems were identified among 24.4% of the study participants in the present study. Musculoskeletal disorders are among the most common problems affecting the elderly. The resulting loss of mobility and physical independence can be particularly devastating in this population¹¹. Epidemiological studies in India indicate that the community based prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is about 20%, with low back pain being the commonest¹².

The current study also showed that 23.8% of elderly were hypertensive and 21.8% were diabetic. A study conducted to assess the Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of diabetes and hypertension among elderly persons showed that the prevalence of diabetes was 21.7%, and that of hypertension was 50.3%. It was observed that the prevalence of both diabetes and hypertension was high among the rural elderly population¹³.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Here we extend our sincere thanks to all people who participated in the study.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

The author declare no conflict of interest in the study.

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Received on 16.03.2021 Modified on 02.04.2021

Int. J. Nur. Edu. and Research. 2021; 9(3):325-327.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2660.2021.00076