HEALTH STATUS OF GERIATRIC POPULATION RESIDING IN JAMMU DISTRICT, J8K, INDIA

Abstract

Ageing is a biological process experienced by mankind in all the times. However, the concern for ageing of population is a relatively new phenomenon, which has risen due to significantly large increase in number and proportion of aged persons in the society. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2017-2019 among the geriatric population of Jammu district, J8K by using multi-stage sampling procedure to assess the prevalence of different morbidities prevailing among them. Data was analyzed by using chi-square and proportions in IBM SPSS version 24.0 software. A total of 750 elderly persons participated in the study, out of which 392 (52.3%) were males and 358 (48.7%) were females respectively. Majority of them were suffering from vision problems (51.5%), followed by arthritis (40.7%), hypertension (39.3%), gastrointestinal disorders (38.1%), cataract (30.0%) and so on. It was observed that the prevalence of certain diseases like diabetes, hypertension and vision was more among the urban elderly whereas the prevalence of asthma, cancer and musculoskeletal problems was more among the rural elderly population. The study highlighted the imperative need of improving geriatric health services so as to improve their quality of life.