Balance Disorders and Their Related Factors Among the Elderly in the Northern Rural Areas of Iran

Background: Aging is a natural and physiological process. Moreover, balance disorders frequently occur in the elderly and cause many morbidities in this population. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate balance disorders and their related factors in the healthy elderly population of the rural areas of Guilan province, in the north of Iran. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 425 individuals over 65 years old were selected by random cluster sampling method from the villages of Rasht, the capital city of Guilan province. After obtaining written consent, the subjects were examined for balance disturbance through gait and balance adjusted scale (GABS) index. The obtained results were reported as frequency. We applied the Mann-Whitney U test and non-parametric regression analysis for non-normally distributed dependent variables. The obtained data were analyzed in software version 18. Results: The Mean±SD score of GABS was 10.07±8.00 [median (IQR):7(10.5)]. A total of 425 individuals were selected, but 413 completed the research (218 males and 195 females). In total, 73.1% of the subjects reported at least one disorder among the investigated parameters, and 45.2% mentioned a disorder in at least one of the studied parameters in medical history. By modified GABS; 42.2% of the subjects reported disorders in at least one of the investigated parameters. Conclusion: Nearly half of the elderly population in the rural areas of the north of Iran suffer from balance disorder. This data was obtained by their medical history and physical examinations.