Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Medicine 1, Yangon, Myanmar.
University of Public Health, Yangon, Myanmar.
BMJ Open. 2020 Oct 31;10(10):e042877. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042877.
Myanmar is rapidly ageing. It is important to understand the current condition of older adults in the country. To obtain such information, we conducted home-visit surveys to collect data for evaluating social determinants of health on older adults in Yangon (representative of an urban) and Bago (representative of a rural) regions of Myanmar.
Overall, 1200 individuals aged 60 years or older and who were not bedridden or had severe dementia (defined as an Abbreviated Mental Test score ≤6) were recruited from Yangon and Bago in 2018. A population-proportionate random-sampling method was used for recruitment.
Overall, 600 individuals from Yangon (222 men; 378 women) and 600 from Bago (261 men; 339 women) were surveyed. The average age of Yangon-based men and women was 69.4±7.6 and 69.4±7.3 years; in Bago, this was 69.2±7.1 and 70.6±7.5 years, respectively. Compared to their Yangon-based counterparts, Bago-based respondents showed significantly lower socioeconomic status and more commonly reported poor self-rated health (Bago-based men: 32.2%, women: 42.5%; Yangon: 10.8% and 24.1%, respectively). Meanwhile, some Yangon-based respondents rarely met friends (men: 17.1%, women: 27.8%), and Yangon-based respondents scored higher for instrumental activities of daily living and body mass index when compared to their Bago-based counterparts. For both regions, women showed higher physical-function decline (Yangon-based women: 40.7%, men: 17.1%; Bago: 46.3% and 23.8%, respectively) and cognitive-function decline (Yangon: 34.1% and 10.4%, respectively; Bago: 53.4% and 22.2%, respectively). Being homebound was more common in urban areas (urban-based men: 11.3%, rural-based men: 2.3%; urban-based women: 13.0%, rural-based women: 4.7%, respectively).
A follow-up survey is scheduled for 2021. This will afford longitudinal data collection concerning mortality, becoming bedridden, and developing dementia and long-term care-related diseases. This will allow us to calculate long-term care risks for older adults in Myanmar.
缅甸正在迅速老龄化。了解该国老年人的现状非常重要。为了获取此类信息，我们进行了家访调查，以收集仰光（代表城市地区）和勃固（代表农村地区）地区老年人健康社会决定因素的数据。
2018 年，我们从仰光和勃固招募了 1200 名年龄在 60 岁或以上、没有卧床不起或患有严重痴呆症（定义为简易精神状态检查得分≤6）的老年人。采用人口比例随机抽样方法招募参与者。
共调查了来自仰光的 600 名男性（222 名）和 600 名女性（378 名）以及来自勃固的 600 名男性（261 名）和 600 名女性（339 名）。仰光男性和女性的平均年龄分别为 69.4±7.6 岁和 69.4±7.3 岁；在勃固，这一年龄分别为 69.2±7.1 岁和 70.6±7.5 岁。与仰光的受访者相比，勃固的受访者社会经济地位较低，自评健康状况较差的比例更高（勃固男性：32.2%，女性：42.5%；仰光：10.8%和 24.1%）。同时，一些仰光的受访者很少会见朋友（男性：17.1%，女性：27.8%），而与勃固的受访者相比，仰光的受访者在日常生活活动的工具性和身体质量指数方面得分更高。对于两个地区，女性的身体功能下降更为明显（仰光女性：40.7%，男性：17.1%；勃固：46.3%和 23.8%），认知功能下降也更为明显（仰光：34.1%和 10.4%；勃固：53.4%和 22.2%）。居家的情况在城市地区更为常见（城市地区男性：11.3%，农村地区男性：2.3%；城市地区女性：13.0%，农村地区女性：4.7%）。
计划于 2021 年进行后续调查。这将提供与死亡率、卧床不起和痴呆症以及长期护理相关疾病相关的纵向数据收集。这将使我们能够计算缅甸老年人的长期护理风险。
