Functional disability among elderly: A community-based cross-sectional study

Background: Old age is often associated with functional decline and physical dependence, thus compromising the ability to carry out basic tasks required for daily living. There are very few community-based studies on functional disability among elderly, especially in India. This study was done to find out the prevalence of functional disability and associated risk factors among the elderly in urbanized villages of Delhi. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two urbanized villages of East Delhi. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to record the socio-demographic and relevant personal details of the elderly (>60 years). Functional disability was defined as a disability in activities of daily living (ADL) or blindness or bilateral hearing impairment or a combination of these. Statistical analysis included simple descriptive analysis and tests of significance like Chi-square test. The multiple logistic regression was used to identify predictors of functional disability. Results: Data were collected from 360 study participants. Around one-fourth (25.6%) of the study participants were having a functional disability. Older age, presence of chronic disease, and having possible malnutrition were found to be significant predictors of functional disability among the elderly by applying the multiple logistic regression. Conclusions: Functional disability needs to be identified at an early stage using appropriate tools so that proper interventions can be directed to those who need it to ensure healthy aging.