Basic activities of daily living and associated factors: A cross-sectional study of the elderly in a tertiary care center, south-east Nigeria

Background: In Nigeria, the elderly is neglected and much attention (if any) is not given to them in terms of their overall health and well-being, thus making them vulnerable. The process of aging is affected by variety of factors (including family dynamics). The various changes that occur as a result of these factors increase the vulnerability of individuals to life threatening diseases, dysfunction and possible death. Elderly population is said to be decreasing in Africa compared to more developed nations. This is probably due to the absence of clear policy or functional social security service for the elderly. This study focused on the effect of socio-demographic characteristics and family support on the functional status (toilet use, feeding and transfers) in the elderly. Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional analytical study of 160 elderly aged between 65-98 years selected through systematic random sampling. Chi square test, t-test and logistic regression were used for analysis. Results: There was 100 percent response rate in this study. The respondents had mean age of 76.31±8.34 years for males and 76.87±7.47 years for females. There was statistically significant association between age, absence of spouse, poor education and functional dependence in all activities of daily living. Age independently predicted dependence in activities of daily living, while marital status predicted dependence in feeding. Conclusion: The high level of functional decline recorded in this study explicitly underscore the fact that an improvement in the biopsychosocial, biomedical and economic well-being of the elderly, as well the incorporation of family-centered approach in the elderly care, will ameliorate the functional decline in the activities of daily living. Trial Registration: Not applicable (study is not a clinical trial).