Morbidity Pattern and Knowledge on Medication among elderly population at Suraram, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37506/1d523v29Keywords:
Elderly, Chronic Disease, Comorbidities.Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ageing of the Population is a great human success story.Longevity leads to more numbers of older persons, eventually leading to a continuously growing share of older persons in the population mix.Preparingfor the economic and social shifts associated with this sector of population is essential to ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
OBJECTIVES:To assess the magnitude and pattern of morbidity among the elder population and to assess the knowledge on medication among them
MATERIALS AND METHODS:A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the Community Health Centre (CHC), a field practice area of the Department of Community Medicine, Malla Reddy Medical College for Women (MRMCW), located in Medchal–Malkajgiri district, Telangana. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; IBM Corp., Chicago, IL, version 22). Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed, with a p-value < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results are presented as absolute numbers and percentages in tabular form.
RESULTS:Of the participants, 149 (75%) reported having at least one chronic disease. Demographic variables such as age, religion, and caste showed a statistically significant association with morbidity (p < 0.05). Among participants with comorbidities, only 98 (49%) reported taking medications as prescribed by their physicians. When experiencing illness or adverse effects related to medication, the majority—53 (54%)—did not inform anyone, while 45 (46%) consulted their physician.
CONCLUSION:The high morbidity load among elderly in the present study stress the efforts to provide better health care services and ensure that they remain active members of the society. This would help policymakers to strengthen health care services to the elderly population at state and national level to achieve Sustained Development Goals by 20230. This special group should be well informed about the medicines by the attending Physicians/ Pharmacists
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