Health Profile of Elderly Women in Manshiate El Sadr Area in Relation to Previous Life Style and Socioeconomic status

Abstract

A house to house survey study was conducted on 500 • elderly women aged 60 years and more in an urban area in Egypt (Manshiate El Sadr Area). The aim of the study was to identify the main health complaints among the elderly women and to assess their basic and instrumental activities. Also to study the relationship between their current health status and the previous life style, occupational history, obstetric history and social status to identify the possible risk factors of ill health in old age. Moreover the impact of the current health status on their social life and activities was studied.

The field -work started in January 1997 and ended in December 1997. The study group was subjected to interview using questionnaire, clinical examination, urine examination for sugar detection by dip strip and measurement of the body mass index. The questionnaire included personal data, social network history, pathological symptoms and life style factors. The life style factors included smoking, coffee and tea drinking, physical activity, leisure time entertainment, diet and contraception. The •basic and instrumental activities were assessed using the Katz, et al., 1968 scale. The Geriatric mini­ mental scale (Felstein, et al., 1975) was used to detect the presence of cognitive impairment. Also the geriatric depression scale (Yesevage, et al., 1983) was used to detect the presence of depression.

Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and the• multivariate analyses. Results were divided into both