Background: The share of the elderly in the Indian population is rising. Side-by-side, the country is witness to rapid urbanization, with large numbers of city dwellers living in underprivileged areas. Studying the burden of chronic disease among the urban underprivileged elderly and their health-seeking behavior will provide useful information to guide urban health policy.
Objectives: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of selected chronic disease among elderly persons and assess their health-seeking behavior and factors associated.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done among 265 elderly persons, selected by systematic random sampling in LR Nagar, an urban underprivileged area in Bengaluru city in the period June 2013May 2014. Elderly persons who were recruited were administered a questionnaire (to assess the presence of known chronic disease and health-seeking behavior) followed by physical examination, glucometry, and sphygmomanometry.
Results: The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 67.5%, of whom 38.4% were newly detected. 47.5% of the study group were detected with musculoskeletal disorders and 30.5% with cataract. Diabetes mellitus was present in 18.5% of the study population, of whom 3.8% were newly detected. 95.6% of subjects sought treatment when they fell ill, the majority of them (78.7%) from private clinics. The healthcare expenditure incurred by the subjects was met by their sons in the majority of the subjects (55.1%).
Conclusion: Designing new models in the public sector for addressing the health problems of the urban underprivileged elderly are required, with emphasis on chronic illness.
Key words: Chronic Disease; Elderly; Diabetes; Hypertension; Health-Seeking Behavior
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