Prevalence of activity limitation and its associated predictor among the elderly in Tamil Nadu, India: A community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Functional disability develops in a dynamic and progressive manner. As people age, their health problems worsen and they lose the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing, using the toilet, bathing, and eating. With a better understanding of the underlying risk factors and the related mechanisms of the disablement process, it is possible to make more effective and more efficient programs to prevent or delay the onset of disability in older people. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out among 453 elderly from Tamil Nadu, India. A door-to-door interview was used to administer the Katz Index of Independence on ADL. Simple random selection was employed to select the study individuals. To determine the association for particular risk factors, Chi-squared test and binary logistic regression were used. RESULTS: First, our study findings show the prevalence of activity limitation among the elderly using the The Katz Index of Independence. This study shows that the prevalence of activity limitation was 23% among the elderly. Seventy-seven percent had no significant limitations: they are independent. There is a statistically significant association between activity limitation as opposed to gender, visual impairment, depression, urinary incontinence, unintentional injury in the past year, and alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION: The study found that the self-reported prevalence of activity limitation was 23% among the elderly and 77% had no significant limitations. The Katz Index of Independence in activities of daily living may be used as a handy tool to identify the activity limitation in community-based checkups.