Abstract
BackgroundThe unprecedented number of elderly individuals in China presents a serious public health challenge. Limited data are available on the prevalence of disability or factors resulting in disability among the elderly in China.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess the prevalence of disability and related risk factors among the elderly of Xiamen, China.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed on individuals who were ≥60 years of age. The subjects were recruited by multi-stage sampling; a total of 14,292 valid questionnaires were received. Study measurements included activities of daily living (ADL), demographics, and health status. The ADL was assessed by the Katz Index Scale to evaluate disability. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with disabilities.ResultsAmong the valid participants, 4.27% had at least one disability. Bathing was the most frequently reported disability and feeding was the least frequently reported disability. Disabilities were significantly associated with female gender, older age, unmarried status, living with family, urban residence, illiteracy, poor economic status, self-rated bad health, chronic illnesses, lower life satisfaction, bad mood, and feelings of loneliness.ConclusionFunctional disability among the elderly requires more public attention. Culturally appropriate policies and programs are also needed to address the care for the disabled elderly.
Highlights
Population aging is a global concern that no longer only occurs in developed countries
The proportion of participants decreased as age increased; there were 48.22% of participants between 60~69 years of age
The population of disabled elderly is rapidly expanding and it is a challenge for individuals, families, and society to undertake the burden of long-term care
Summary
Population aging is a global concern that no longer only occurs in developed countries. China became an “aging society” around 2000, and has experienced an unprecedented process of aging in its population [1,2,3]. Life expectancies have increased and mortality rates have decreased; the percentage of elderly population has grown substantially in the past 30 years [4,5,6]. Population projections predict the proportion of individuals aged !60 years and aged ! 65 years in China will exceed 30% and 20% respectively by 2050 [3,4,8,9]. The unprecedented number of elderly individuals in China presents a serious public health challenge. Limited data are available on the prevalence of disability or factors resulting in disability among the elderly in China. Editor: Stefano Federici, University of Perugia, ITALY Received: February 10, 2015 Accepted: May 26, 2015 Published: June 30, 2015
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