. Roshni Mary Peter; . Alex Joseph
Volume 12, Issue 11 , December 2022, , Pages 1-6
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Aging poses a significant risk for activity and functional limitations. Problems amongaged populations are interrelated, and these problems can lead to other disorders and ...
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BACKGROUND: Aging poses a significant risk for activity and functional limitations. Problems amongaged populations are interrelated, and these problems can lead to other disorders and finally leavea negative impact on the quality of life (QoL) This study used the screening of activity limitation andsafety awareness (SALSA) scale to screen and measure activity limitations among the elderly.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community‑based descriptive cross‑sectional study was conductedamong 928 elderly from the three districts of Tamil Nadu, India. The SALSA scale was administeredvia a door‑to‑door interview, and data analysis was carried out. Simple random sampling was used toobtain the study subjects in the selected study area. Chi‑square tests and binary logistic regressionwere performed to find the association between selected risk factors.RESULTS: Among the 928 elderly, 53.7% of them were males, 84.9% were between the age of 60and 69 years, and 31% were 70 years and above. The study found that 66.5% of the elderly havemild activity limitations, 15.7% of them had moderate limitations, 4.8% of them had severe limitations,around 3% of them had extreme limitations, and 10.3% of them had no significant limitations. The binarylogistic regression found people of age 65 and above (OR = 3.80), female gender (OR = 2.90), withhypertension (OR = 1.95), vision problem (OR = 1.92), decreased sensation of the foot (OR = 3.41),as the significant independent risk factors for activity limitation among the elderly.CONCLUSION: The study found self‑reported activity limitations among the elderly to be nearly 90%.The SALSA scale may be used as a handy tool to identify the activity limitation in community‑basedgeriatric checkups.
