Summary:
Aging is universal and it is inescapable, beginning at birth,
which should be regarded as a normal biological process
leading to functional deterioration, vulnerability and
ultimately culminating to extinction of life. Population
ageing is becoming a major concern both in the developed
and developing countries. Many health problems are known
to increase with age and this demographic trend may lead to
an increase in the absolute number of health conditions in
this population. To identify health problems of elderly
population and assess their socioeconomic condition.
This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out over
531 elderly people selected purposively from some urban
slums of Dhaka city during July to December, 2013. Each
eligible participant was informed about the purpose and
procedure of the study. Trained interviewers collected
information by face to face interview using a pre-tested
questionnaire having both structured and open ended
questions.
Majority 389 (73.3%) were from the age group of 60-69
years. The mean age of the respondents was found to be 65
years; (SD±7.048). Majority of them were male 68.7%,
illiterate 78.8%, employed as small businessman 26% and
belonged to joint family 75.0%. Their average monthly
income was 4747.02 ± 2796.368 Taka. About 272(51.2%)
respondents were dependent on other earning family
members. A significantly higher proportion of women suffered
from diabetes, hearing impairment, vertigo, joint pain,
depression, while chest pain, chronic cough, difficulty in
micturation, anxiety were observed more in elderly men.
The study sheds new light which may help to provide
adequate guideline for the senior citizens to overcome old
age health problems. As there is a rapid increase in the
number of elderly population, there is an urgent need to
develop affordable and accessible health care services.
Key words: Elderly population, Health problem, Slum.
(J Banagladesh Coll Phys Surg 2015; 33: 202-206)