Investigation on the activities of daily living for elderly people in Changsha area / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the situation of the activities of daily living(ADL)for elderly people in Changsha,and analyze the influencing factors. Methods Questionnaire survey on ADL was held in 2239 elderly people(ranging from 60 to 91 years old),and the influencing factors including age,sex,family structure,marital status,education level,occupation,common chronic diseases and medical care consciousness were analyzed. Results Going to the toilet irregularly hadthe highest injury rate in physical self-maintenance viability(18.2%).But in instrumental ADL,the highest injury rate occurred while shopping(26.3%).Advanced age,living alone,losing spouse,sickness and the lack of medical care awareness were the major factors that influenced the ADL of the elderly people. Conclusions The ADL is an important indicator which reflects the health condition of elderly people.Advanced age,living alone,losing spouse,having many chronic diseases and lacking in medical care awareness are risk factors.