Background: Populations worldwide are aging. For the reasons that the geriatric population is increasing in number and in proportion, the strong association between age and morbidity and the present health-care situation, which does not meet all the needs and demands of geriatric people, suggest an increased demand in health services and need for expansion of role of physicians in providing a comprehensive care for older people.
Objective: To study the morbidity prevalence and patterns in geriatric age group in an urban slum.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a resettlement colony on the outskirts of Mumbai, the field practice area under the Department of PSM of the parent medical college. This was an epidemiological community-based cross-sectional study in an urban slum of Mumbai. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software, version 16, with appropriate statistical test.
Result: A total of 683 illnesses were reported by 195 subjects (who were reported ill), that is, the average illness per person among study subjects was 3.10. Most of the chronic diseases were seen in the age group of 6070 years and showed a decreasing trend in later years.
Conclusion: Awareness in people about aging, the approach to their chronic illness needs to be holistic, regularity in health check-up, comprehensive home-based health care for people.
Key words: Aging, morbidity, urban slum
|
