Profile and correlates of functional status in elderly patients presenting at a primary care clinic in Nigeria : original research

• Published in: African journal of primary health care & family medicine 2015-01, Vol.7 (1), p.1-7
• Main Authors: Ogunbode, Adetola M., Akinyemi, Joshua O., Adebusoye, Lawrence A., Adebayo, Ayodeji M., Ajayi, Samuel A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2071-2928; 2071-2936
• DOI: 10.4102/phcfm.v7i1.810

Background: Assessing the functional status of elderly patients is central in measuring their health outcome. Little is known about the functional status of elderly patients attending our primary care clinic in Nigeria. Objective: To assess the correlates of functional status in elderly patients presenting at the General Outpatient Clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional study of 360 randomly selected patients aged 60 years and above was undertaken to assess their functional status by scoring their basic activities of daily living (BADL) using the Modified Bathel Index. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain the socio-demographic data, anthropometric measurements and morbidities of each patient. Results: The mean age was 69.1 ± 6.6 years with a female-to-male ratio of 1.9 : 1. The prevalence of overall functional disability (defined as when assistance was sought in the performance of at least one of the components of BADL) was 88.3%. The highest prevalence of functional disability was experienced in the area of personal hygiene and grooming (95.3%) and transferring from bed to chair (95.3%). Overall functional disability significantly increased with increasing age (χ2 for trend=14.004, p < 0.0001), living in a polygamous family unit (p = 0.025), and lack of formal education (p = 0.020). Conclusion: Functional disability was high amongst the elderly in this setting. Age, education, and living in a polygamous type of family unit had significant influence on the functional status. High premium should, therefore, be placed on considering these factors in reducing functional disability in the elderly. Profil et correspondances du statut fonctionnel des personnes âgées qui se présentent à une clinique de soins primaires au Nigéria. Contexte: L'évaluation de la situation fonctionnelle des personnes âgées est essentielle pour mesurer leurs résultats en matière de santé. On ne sait pas grand-chose sur la situation fonctionnelle des patients âgés qui fréquentent notre clinique de soins primaires au Nigéria. Objectif: Evaluer les correspondances du statut fonctionnel des patients âgés qui fréquentent la policlinique générale de l'Hôpital académique (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria. Méthode: Une étude transversale de 360 patients sélectionnés au hasard, âgés de 60 ans et plus, a été faite de septembre à novembre 2011. On a évalué le statut fonctionnel en mesurant leurs activités courantes de leur vie quotidienn