Disability and its association with sociodemographic factors among elderly persons residing in an urban resettlement colony, New Delhi, India

The Sociodemographic Factors Related to Disability of Applicants of Welfare Benefits in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Survey Based on the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the present study was to report on the prevalence of disability and its association with sociodemographic factors among welfare benefit applicants in Greece. The study also compared the disability scores between different health conditions using the WHODAS 2.0 (12-item version), a biopsychosocial-model-based measure.

METHODS

The Greek WHODAS 2.0, 12-item version, was administered by interview. A three-member medical committee assessed the medical records of the applicants and assigned a disability percentage based on the biomedical measure of disability percentage determination (Barema scale).

RESULTS

The majority of the participants were female (56.65%). Certain health conditions were presented more frequently among welfare benefit applicants (mental health disorders and neoplasms). The domains with the highest rate of difficulty were the "participation" and "life activities" domains. Significant differences were found between WHODAS 2.0 and Barema scores for all eight different health condition categories. The factorial ANOVA (8x2) showed a significant interaction effect between health condition category and gender with respect to the WHODAS 2.0 score (F = 19.033, p <.001, η2 = 0.13). The WHODAS 2.0 score was negatively correlated to gender, years of studies, and marital status and positively correlated to age, working status, and the Barema score. The results revealed that male participants with a partner who were younger, had more studies, were actively working, and had a lower Barema score would have lower WHODAS scores.

CONCLUSION

Sociodemographic characteristics of welfare benefit applicants are associated with disability levels based on WHODAS 2.0. Certain health conditions, like mental health or neuromusculoskeletal conditions, are associated with higher disability scores. There are differences between the biopsychosocial and the biomedical approaches to disability assessment. The implementation of WHODAS 2.0 may contribute to a better understanding of the lived experience of patients and is a feasible and efficient tool. Combining biomedical and biopsychosocial approaches may enhance the procedures of disability assessment and help in the development of policies that support people with disabilities.

Functional disability and its associated factors among community- dweller older adults living in Gondar Town, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Functional disability is an emerging public health concern that has an impact on the health and quality of life of older adults. If functional disability recognized early, it will be possible to support them to live independently. Although functional disability is extensively researched in developed countries; studies are scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence and associated factors of functional disability in activities of daily living among older adults in Gondar town, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2022. Multistage sampling techniques were used to recruit 607 older adults aged 60 years and older. A pre-tested interview-administered questionnaire was used to assess functional disability in basic activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living using the Katz Index and Lawton scale, respectively. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were employed. The findings of the study were presented by descriptive statistics and an adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used to determine statistical significance.

RESULTS

The prevalence of functional disability in basic activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living among older adults was 34.5% and 54.4, respectively. Age 80 and older [AOR = 2.41, CI (1.41-4.10)], low-income status [AOR = 2.58, CI (1.50-4.46)], multimorbidity [AOR = 2.97, CI (1.92-4.60)], depression [AOR = 2.97, CI (1.63-5.40)], and low level of physical activity [AOR = 3.31, CI (2.11-5.17)] were associated with basic activities of daily living. Age 80 and older (AOR = 3.11, CI = 1.94-5.00), multimorbidity [AOR = 3.06, CI (2.10-4.46)], and depression [AOR = 3.52, CI (2.10-4.46)] were associated with instrumental activities of daily living.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Our study finding revealed that functional disability affects a large number of older adult residents. The age group of 80 years and older, low-income status, a low level of physical activity, multimorbidity, and depression were associated with basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Therefore, health interventions designed to increase older adults' level of physical activity, management of multimorbidity, and depression, more care for elders 80 years and older, and supporting older adults financially for health insurance coverage could be an important strategy to reduce functional disability among older adults.

Prevalence of activity limitation and its associated predictor among the elderly in Tamil Nadu, India: A community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Functional disability develops in a dynamic and progressive manner. As people age, their health problems worsen and they lose the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing, using the toilet, bathing, and eating. With a better understanding of the underlying risk factors and the related mechanisms of the disablement process, it is possible to make more effective and more efficient programs to prevent or delay the onset of disability in older people.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A community-based, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out among 453 elderly from Tamil Nadu, India. A door-to-door interview was used to administer the Katz Index of Independence on ADL. Simple random selection was employed to select the study individuals. To determine the association for particular risk factors, Chi-squared test and binary logistic regression were used.

RESULTS

First, our study findings show the prevalence of activity limitation among the elderly using the The Katz Index of Independence. This study shows that the prevalence of activity limitation was 23% among the elderly. Seventy-seven percent had no significant limitations: they are independent. There is a statistically significant association between activity limitation as opposed to gender, visual impairment, depression, urinary incontinence, unintentional injury in the past year, and alcohol consumption.

CONCLUSION

The study found that the self-reported prevalence of activity limitation was 23% among the elderly and 77% had no significant limitations. The Katz Index of Independence in activities of daily living may be used as a handy tool to identify the activity limitation in community-based checkups.

A Demographic Profile of Disability Assessed Patients in Selected Tertiary Care Hospitals in Coastal Karnataka, India: A Retrospective Study

Background

Disability assessment is a critical component in getting a comprehensive and amicable compensation in medico-legal cases. The data regarding acquired disability among the hospital-admitted patients are lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine the demographic profile of disability-assessed patients in tertiary care hospitals in Coastal Karnataka, India between 2010 and 2019. The study also aims to evaluate the pitfalls in the present assessment method.

Materials and Methods

A record-based retrospective study of all the cases assessed by the investigator in tertiary care hospitals in Coastal Karnataka between 2010 and 2019 was analyzed. The disability was assessed using Govt. of India guidelines. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 2004 cases were analyzed; among them, 85% were males. The average percentage of disability was 26% (SD = 16.2). Mean age of the patients was 38 years, the median calculated for duration of hospital stay was 15 days, and 15% patients had multiple disabilities. The Brachial plexus injury resulted in the highest percentage of disability (76%) followed by spine (43%) and head injury (38%). Locomotor disability was found in 77% of cases, and lower limbs and right side were involved twice more than the upper limbs and left side.

Conclusion

The study reveals the demographic profile of disability-assessed patients admitted in hospitals. This database will help to create awareness among health care professionals, Govt. bodies, and insurance companies about the magnitude of the problem.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-022-00706-4.

Functional disability among elderly: A community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Old age is often associated with functional decline and physical dependence, thus compromising the ability to carry out basic tasks required for daily living. There are very few community-based studies on functional disability among elderly, especially in India. This study was done to find out the prevalence of functional disability and associated risk factors among the elderly in urbanized villages of Delhi.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in two urbanized villages of East Delhi. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to record the socio-demographic and relevant personal details of the elderly (>60 years). Functional disability was defined as a disability in activities of daily living (ADL) or blindness or bilateral hearing impairment or a combination of these. Statistical analysis included simple descriptive analysis and tests of significance like Chi-square test. The multiple logistic regression was used to identify predictors of functional disability.

RESULTS

Data were collected from 360 study participants. Around one-fourth (25.6%) of the study participants were having a functional disability. Older age, presence of chronic disease, and having possible malnutrition were found to be significant predictors of functional disability among the elderly by applying the multiple logistic regression.

CONCLUSIONS

Functional disability needs to be identified at an early stage using appropriate tools so that proper interventions can be directed to those who need it to ensure healthy aging.