Assessment of Functional Impairments among the Elderly in Ijebu Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The aging process is characterized by various physiological conditions that results in decline of functional capacity and physical abilities. This leads to limited quality of life and increased dependency among the elderly.
Objective: The study assessed the prevalence of functional impairments among elderly persons in IjebuOde Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 500 elderly subjects selected from 100 households in the study area using systematic random sampling. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to elicit relevant socio-demographic information. Functional impairment was assessed using the Katz Index of Independence Activities of Daily Living (KADL). Six aspects of daily activities were assessed - urinary continence, toileting, dressing, bathing, feeding and transferring. Frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviations and Chi square test were used in data analysis.
Results: The study comprised of 41.2% males and 58.8% females with age ranging from 60-92years and mean age of 71.10±8.40years. More female (58.6%) compared to male (41.4%) were impaired. Overall prevalence of functional impairment was 26.6%. There were significant associations between functional impairment, older age and lower educational level (p=0.001). The most common impairment was related to transference (25.6%) while the least was with feeding (3.6%).
Conclusion: Elderly subjects are prone to functional impairments related to transference which advances with age and more in women. Thus, assessing functional impairment is important in preventive geriatric health care for screening to help in reducing further morbidity in the elderly.

Keywords: Assessment, prevalence, functional impairment, elderly