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[Dependence on self-care and walking of the aged in a rural community]
E Valderrama Gama1, F Rodríguez Artalejo, P Gabarre Orús
1Departamento de Epidemiología y Bioestadística, Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid.
Objective:
To evaluate the dependence on 5 basic daily activities (BDA) and on walking, and their relationship to the frequency of attendance at the family doctor.
Design:
A crossover study using a home survey of health.
Setting:
Town of Villanueva de los Castillejos in Huelva.
Participants:
Those 65 or over.
Interventions:
The dichotomous form of the Katz Index, with the incontinence item excluded (scores from 0-5), was used. Walking was assessed by the Functional Walking Categories (FWC) of Massachusetts General Hospital.
Results:
Information on 139 men and 231 women was obtained (85.6% of the actual population). 15.3% (95% CI, 11.3-19.0), 12.4% of the men and 16.9% of the women (p > 0.05), stated their dependence in one or more BDA. 22.5% of the population (95% CI, 18.2-26.8), 8.9% of the men and 30.6% (p = 0.001) of the women, said they found it difficult to walk.
Conclusions:
There is a high rate of dependence in the population group. Light dependence is associated with more frequent medical consultations than either independence or severe dependence.