Disability and Its Influencing Factors among the Elderly in a County, Guangxi Province, China

Objectives: This study aims to understand the disability status of the elderly residents of a County (Guangxi Province, China) and explore its influencing factors. Methods: Respondents consisted of 2300 elderly people aged 60 and above from three townships in the county we studied. The Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale was used to assess the disability of the elderly sample. Chi-square test was applied to compare the disability rate among the elderly with different demographic characteristics. The graph showed the disability rates of ADL, six items of Physical Activities of Daily Living (PADL) and eight items of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) at different ages. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of disability rate among the elderly. Results: The disability rates of ADL, PADL, and IADL in the elderly were 43.4%, 11.6%, and 42.4%, respectively. As with the increase in age, the disability rates of ADL, IADL, PADL, and their 14 items gradually increased (p < 0.05), with walking, using the telephone, and using public vehicles having higher disability rates than other items. The influencing factors of ADL disability were gender (OR = 0.579, 95%CI = 0.441–0.759), age (OR = 2.270, 95%CI = 1.867–2.759; OR = 4.719, 95%CI = 2.998–7.429; OR = 6.249, 95%CI = 3.667–10.648), educational level (OR = 2.844, 95%CI = 2.076–3.897; OR = 1.677, 95%CI = 1.246–2.230), and having metabolic syndrome (MetS) (OR = 1.298, 95%CI = 1.044–1.613). Compared with ADL, the influencing factor of PADL disability was gender, whereas that of IADL disability was whether someone had MetS. Conclusions: With age, the possibility of ADL, PADL, and IADL damage in the elderly is higher. Gender, age, educational level, the number of chronic diseases, and whether someone has MetS might be the influencing factors of disability. Interventions should be taken from a variety of sources specific to the content of each entry.