Disability and Its Influencing Factors among the Elderly in a County, Guangxi Province, China.

Shiyi Chen,Bingshuang Long,Guoqi Yu,Jiansheng Cai,You Li,Jian Qin,Jiexia Tang,Zhiyong Zhang,Xia Xu,Yi Wei

doi:10.3390/ijerph15091967

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to understand the disability status of the elderly residents of a County (Guangxi Province, China) and explore its influencing factors. Methods: Respondents consisted of 2300 elderly people aged 60 and above from three townships in the county we studied. The Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale was used to assess the disability of the elderly sample. Chi-square test was applied to compare the disability rate among the elderly with different demographic characteristics. The graph showed the disability rates of ADL, six items of Physical Activities of Daily Living (PADL) and eight items of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) at different ages. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of disability rate among the elderly. Results: The disability rates of ADL, PADL, and IADL in the elderly were 43.4%, 11.6%, and 42.4%, respectively. As with the increase in age, the disability rates of ADL, IADL, PADL, and their 14 items gradually increased (p < 0.05), with walking, using the telephone, and using public vehicles having higher disability rates than other items. The influencing factors of ADL disability were gender (OR = 0.579, 95%CI = 0.441–0.759), age (OR = 2.270, 95%CI = 1.867–2.759; OR = 4.719, 95%CI = 2.998–7.429; OR = 6.249, 95%CI = 3.667–10.648), educational level (OR = 2.844, 95%CI = 2.076–3.897; OR = 1.677, 95%CI = 1.246–2.230), and having metabolic syndrome (MetS) (OR = 1.298, 95%CI = 1.044–1.613). Compared with ADL, the influencing factor of PADL disability was gender, whereas that of IADL disability was whether someone had MetS. Conclusions: With age, the possibility of ADL, PADL, and IADL damage in the elderly is higher. Gender, age, educational level, the number of chronic diseases, and whether someone has MetS might be the influencing factors of disability. Interventions should be taken from a variety of sources specific to the content of each entry.

Highlights

By the end of August 2015, the Geriatric Society of China announced that Guangxi was the largest province in China with a population exhibiting good longevity rates [1]
The purpose of the current study is to investigate the possible influencing factors of disability (ADL, Physical Activities of Daily Living (PADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), and 14 items) among the elderly people aged 60 and above, who are living in the county we studied (Guangxi Province, China)
The results of the current study showed that the disability rates of Activities of Daily Living (ADL), PADL, and IADL among the elderly were 43.4%, 11.6%, and 42.4%, respectively

Summary

Introduction

By the end of August 2015, the Geriatric Society of China announced that Guangxi was the largest province in China with a population exhibiting good longevity rates [1]. Wang et al [2] studied regional longevity in China and reported Hechi City as one of the areas with high longevity levels in. Hechi is a relatively underdeveloped area in Guangxi and the Zhuang people comprise its main. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1967; doi:10.3390/ijerph15091967 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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