Abstract
While locomotive organ impairment among older people is attracting worldwide attention, this issue has not yet been widely investigated in Thailand. This study aimed to measure locomotive organ impairment prevalence and identify the determinants of locomotive function decline among middle-aged and older people in Nan Province, Thailand. This cross-sectional study included anthropometric measurements, a two-step test to investigate locomotive function, and a structured questionnaire to obtain socio-demographic and related information. Logistic regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to identify the determinants of locomotive organ impairment. The study participants were aged 50–87 years old (n = 165), and 71.5% of them had begun experiencing declining locomotive function; < 6 years of school education (adjusted odds ratio: 4.46), body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 (AOR: 3.06), comorbidities (AOR: 2.55), and continuous walking for <15 min (AOR: 2.51) were identified as factors associated with locomotive organ impairment. Moreover, age, knee pain, anxiety about falling in daily life, and difficulty with simple tasks were identified as factors significantly associated with exacerbated locomotive organ impairment (p < 0.05). Appropriate interventions such as guidance or follow-up and recommendations for exercises are needed to prevent locomotive organ impairment and improve treatment.
Highlights
According to a United Nations announcement in 2019, the proportion of the population aged ≥65 years in some Asian emerging countries is growing: Thailand (12.4%), China (11.5%), and Vietnam (7.6%) [1]
No significant difference was observed in body mass index (BMI) between the two groups; the proportion of patients with a BMI of ≥25 kg/m2 was 41.5% in the group with a two-step score
The results of this study indicate that ‘shorter education period,’ ‘obesity,’ ‘comorbidities,’ and ‘short continuous walking time’ are factors significantly associated with locomotive organ impairment, while previous studies have clarified associations between gender, age, and metabolic syndrome as factors of locomotive syndrome (LS) and locomotive organ impairment [22,29,30]
Summary
According to a United Nations announcement in 2019, the proportion of the population aged ≥65 years in some Asian emerging countries is growing: Thailand (12.4%), China (11.5%), and Vietnam (7.6%) [1]. Stated that the population aging pace is much faster than in the past and predicted that the pace would increase greatly in low- and middle-income countries [2]. A rapidly aging society is associated with heavy social and financial burdens due to various health problems [3,4,5]. As an age-related health problem, locomotive organ impairment is beginning to attract worldwide attention. In Japan, locomotive organ impairment underlies the need for nursing care services for 21.5% of older people, and lower functional activities were associated are higher medical care costs among elderly individuals [6,7].
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