RESUMO
Objective In order to assess the activities of daily living (ADL) in the elderly and its related factors. Methods 3 198 elderly people in cities of Hefei and Tongling in Anhui Province were selected by cluster sampling and random sampling method. The damage of PADL and IADL among the elderly were investigated. The main influencing factors related to the damage of PADL and IADL was analyzed by single and multiple variable logistic regression model. Results The rates for loss of independence of PADL and IADL in the elderly were found to be 7.2% and 20.9%, and were higher in women than in men. The number of those people losing independence of PADL and IADL grew increasingly with age. Multiple factor analysis showed that deterioration of ADL was found to be largely associated with age, sex, education level, chronic disease, lower income and not being engaged in working. Conclusions The prevalence of disability in PADL and IADL of the elderly increased rapidly with age and that in ADL was higher for women than for men, and was higher for PADL than for IADL. Healthy status of the elderly people should be paid special attention to.