Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Dependency among Elderly Patients Attending Outpatient department at Tertiary Care Center in a Hilly State of Northern India: A Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: India being a developing country has been estimated to have increasing share of elderly population representing a growing burden for providing adequate health care services to cater the growing demand of healthcare services in this age group. Activities of daily living (ADL) dependency among elderly patients provide an opportunity to assess various socio-demographic factors and their association with ADL. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ADL dependency using the Modified Barthel Index and to assess socio-demographic factors associated with ADL dependency among elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 elderly patients attending Family Medicine outpatient department of a tertiary care center in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, a hilly region of northern India. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire, along with functional assessment using ADL, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), and other relevant evaluations. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression were performed to identify factors associated with ADL dependency and P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of ADL dependency based on Modified Barthel index was found to be 30.6% with higher proportion of female patients (33.9%) being dependent as compared to male patients (27%). On logistic regression analysis, higher age, illiteracy and living without partner were found to be significant predictors of dependency (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study found a higher burden of ADL dependency among elderly patients attending outpatient clinic. Socio-demographic factors were found to be important determinants affecting functional status.