Department of Family Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
PLoS One. 2019 Jun 27;14(6):e0218872. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218872. eCollection 2019.
The elderly population is increasing globally. In Pakistan, the elderly comprise 6% of the population that is predicted to triple by 2050. Non-communicable diseases are common health problems of the elderly in Pakistan, however, resulting geriatric impairments and disability are unknown. This study was conducted to determine geriatric impairments and identify associated socio-demographic factors and comorbidities among community dwelling elderly in Karachi, Pakistan.
A cross-sectional study was conducted during 2013-2014. Community clusters were selected from all sub-districts of Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan. Data was collected from systematically selected households within these clusters from individuals, aged ≥60 years, using standardized questionnaires. Geriatric impairment was assessed through validated questions and tools. We screened for depression, dementia, mobility and functional status. Descriptive statistics were computed for socio-demographic factors. We estimated the prevalence and 95% CI for geriatric impairments and comorbidities.
A total of 1200 community-dwelling elderly participated in this study. More than half (n = 663, 55.3%) were females. The average age of the participants was 68.7 (SD = 7.8) years. Two-thirds suffered from chronic illness and the most common impairments were psychological and cognitive. Females were 2.45 times more at risk of developing three or more geriatric impairments. Participants with no formal education had the highest proportion (43.8%) of geriatric impairments. Participants living with more children were more likely to have three or more impairments.
A high burden of non-communicable diseases and associated impairments were identified among elderly in Karachi, Pakistan. High rates of psychological and cognitive impairments require urgent attention for resources and strategic planning in anticipation of a growing geriatric population.
全球老年人口正在增加。在巴基斯坦，老年人占人口的 6%，预计到 2050 年将增加两倍。非传染性疾病是巴基斯坦老年人常见的健康问题，但由此导致的老年损伤和残疾情况尚不清楚。本研究旨在确定卡拉奇社区居住的老年人的老年损伤情况，并确定与这些损伤相关的社会人口学因素和合并症。
这是一项于 2013-2014 年进行的横断面研究。从巴基斯坦最大城市卡拉奇的所有分区中选择社区集群。从这些集群中的系统选择的家庭中收集数据，这些家庭的个体年龄≥60 岁，使用标准化问卷。通过经过验证的问题和工具评估老年损伤。我们对抑郁、痴呆、活动能力和功能状态进行筛查。对社会人口学因素进行描述性统计。我们估计了老年损伤和合并症的患病率和 95%置信区间。
共有 1200 名社区居住的老年人参加了这项研究。超过一半（n = 663，55.3%）为女性。参与者的平均年龄为 68.7（SD = 7.8）岁。三分之二的人患有慢性疾病，最常见的损伤是心理和认知损伤。女性发生三种或更多种老年损伤的风险是男性的 2.45 倍。没有受过正规教育的参与者发生老年损伤的比例最高（43.8%）。与有更多子女一起生活的参与者发生三种或更多种损伤的可能性更高。
在巴基斯坦卡拉奇，发现老年人患有非传染性疾病和相关损伤的负担很重。高比例的心理和认知损伤需要紧急关注，以提供资源并进行战略规划，以应对不断增长的老年人口。
