Sociodemographic Predictors of Physical Functioning in the Elderly: A National Health Survey

Milena Kostadinovic, Dejan Nikolic, Ivana Petronic, Dragana Cirovic, Mirko Grajic and Milena Santric Milicevic
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Milena Kostadinovic: Clinical Center of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Dejan Nikolic: Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Ivana Petronic: Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Dragana Cirovic: Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Mirko Grajic: Clinical Center of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milena Santric Milicevic: Institute of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sociodemographic factors with the presence and different degrees of walking difficulties in elderly above 65 years, and to analyze association between evaluated variables and the presence and degree of waking difficulties. In the population based study, 3540 individuals age above 65 years from Serbia were recruited. Further predictors were analyzed: gender, age, level of education, marital status, body mass index (BMI), index of well-being and place of residence. We assessed difficulty in walking half a km on level ground without the use of any aid (Group-1); and difficulty in walking up or down 12 steps (Group-2). Walking difficulties were categorized as no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty and cannot do at all. For present difficulty significant predictors were: age (Group-1 (OR-3.022)/Group-2 (OR-3.825)), gender (Group-1 (OR-0.337)/Group-2 (OR-0.311)), educational level (Group-1 (OR-0.689)/Group-2 (OR-0.556)) and place of residence (Group-2 (OR-1.523)) while for non-performing the task, significant predictors were: age (Group-1 (OR-1.998)/Group-2 (OR-2.096)), gender (Group-1 (OR-0.629)/Group-2 (OR-0.495)), BMI (Group-1 (OR-1.219)/Group-2 (OR-1.305)), marital status (Group-1 (OR 0.764)/Group-2 (OR-0.769)), educational level (Group-1 (OR-0.679)/Group-2 (OR-0.719)) and index of well-being (Group-2 (OR-0.764)). Understanding of predictors, and their role on functional decline in elderly is of great importance for the development of specific population-based health programs to prevent further functional loss and preserve achieved functional gains.

Keywords: elderly; predictors; physical functioning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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