Disability in the Elderly and its Relationship with Demographic Characteristic

Background: Developing countries in Asia are aging faster than other countries in the world anddisability has become one of the greater public health concern in these countries. Therefore, thisstudy aims to disability in the elderly and its relationship with demographic characteristics in ۲۰۰۷.Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on a two-stage clustered sample of۳۵۰ elderly cases in Kashan, Iran. The data collection tools were demographic and also WHODAS-II questionnaires. Chi-square, Fisher Exact test, Spearman correlation coefficient were usedto analyze the data.Results: Among the studied samples, ۷۵.۷% had no or low level disability and only ۴.۳% hadsever one. A Significant relationship was observed between disability and variables such as sex,need to help, place of residency, addiction, regular physical activity, marriage, level of education,lifestyle and job.Conclusions: The severity of disability in the elderly was low, but it was more prevalent amongwomen. However, more studies are needed to confirm the findings.

Keywords:

Elderly , Disability , Demographic Characteristics