Morbidity Pattern among Geriatric Population in a Rural Area of West Bengal: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Aging is associated with gradual accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage resulting in different types of morbidities in geriatric population especially in rural areas in India where health infrastructure is insufficient. Aim: To assess socio-demographic profile and morbidity pattern of geriatric population in Memari-I block of East Burdwan district, West Bengal. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 436 rural geriatric population from October to December 2020 at Memari-I block in West Bengal and multistage proportionate population sampling was done. Data was collected through house-to-house survey by pretested predesigned structured schedule and data analysed with help of International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. Results: Among the 436 study population, 263 (60.3%) were male and 272 (62.4%) were in the age group of 60-69 years. Out of total, 156 (35.7%) had pallor, 428 (98.2%) had Gastrointestinal (GI) and 403 (92.4%) had musculo-skeletal problems. Hypertension was found in 110 (41.8%) males and 124 (71.7%) females and diabetes were found in 30 (11.4%) males and 53 (30.6%) females. Diabetes and hypertension were significantly associated with age group (60-69 years), gender (female), Body Mass Index (BMI) (obese), and dependency on others. Conclusion: Geriatric population from the Memari block suffer from multiple co-morbidities, predominantly musculoskeletal disorders, GI disorder, hypertension and ophthalmic disorders. A significant number of study population were underweight and belonged to lower socio-economic group. Diabetes and hypertension showed significant association with age group (60-69 years), gender (female), BMI (obese) and dependency on others.