ABSTRACT
Introduction: The Indian population experiencing rapid ageing. By 2050, elderly would be 19.5% of the total population. The increasing elderly in society brings with new social problems having tremendous health impact. Elder abuse is a serious but neglected social problem that has adverse consequence on health. Objective: To measure the prevalence of elder abuse and to determine associated factors of elder abuse. Method: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among elderly population aged 60 years and above in the Piparia village of Vadodara district. A sample of 126 study participants were interviewed to collect data on prevalence of abuse and associated factors leading to abuse. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to draw conclusion from collected data. Prevalence of elder abuse was foundResults: to be 28.57%. Emotional abuse was the commonest type of abuse reported. Socio economic status, family type, Tobacco use (Smoke and smokeless) were found to be significantly associated with elder abuse. Conclusion: Elder abuse is prevalent in rural Gujarat. Further evidence is needed to assess the magnitude of the problem and the type of intervention necessary to resolve it.
ABSTRACT
Introduction :Menopause is the inevitable stage of women's reproductive cycle. Indian women spend around a third of their life in post-menopausal period. The common climacteric symptoms experienced by women are vasomotor, physical and psychological symptoms. There is no specific health care programme for post-menopausal women. Objective:The objectives are to determine the average age at attaining menopause and the prevalence of various menopausal symptoms among postmenopausal women. Method:The present cross sectional study was carried out in four different urban sites of Gujarat. Two stage sampling methods adopted to select participants. Data was collected by personnel interview using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Results:Median age of menopause was 45 years with a range from 35 to 56 years. The most common symptoms present among participants were fatigue (73%), irritability (72%), weight gain (61%), headache (59%), anxiety (52%), joint pain (51%), insomnia (51%). The Vasomotor symptoms like hot flushes, night sweat and urinary incontinence were present respectively in 41%, 35% and 23% of study participants. Conclusion:The study shows that postmenopausal women in Gujarat suffer from various vasomotor, physical and psychiatric problems with varied frequencies. This study reveals that Indian urban women attain a menopause at early age. Frequency of the post menopausal symptoms increased when women attain menopause at early age.