High Social Support System among Elderly in a Hilly District: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Social support is an important contributing factor that promotes the health of the elderly by providing them with positive experiences, socially satisfying roles, or the ability to cope with stressful situations. The objective of this research study is to find out the prevalence of a high social support system among the elderly in a Hilly district. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the elderly from a hilly district of Nepal. The ethical approval was taken from Ethical Review Board (Reference number: 3050). Data were collected from 20 May 2019 to August 2019. The elderly aged 60 years and above were the study population. A convenience sampling technique was used. The face-to-face interview was taken by using a structured questionnaire. Point estimate, and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. RESULTS: Out of 263 elderly people, 188 (71.48%) (66.02-76.94, 95% Confidence Interval) were provided with high support by their family members, friends, and significant others. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of high social support among the elderly was found to be higher when compared to similar studies conducted in similar settings.