Prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases and related factors in the elderly of Shahroud - 2023

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the Prevalence of Non-communicable chronic diseases and related factors in the elderly of Shahroud in 2022.

The present study was carried out in a descriptive-cross-sectional manner on the elderly, referring to the health-treatment centers of Shahroud City. 448 elderly people were selected as the sample size by random cluster method. The questionnaires included demographic information, the elderly depression screening test (GDS-4), the short version of the nutritional status assessment questionnaire (MNA-SF-6), and the chronic diseases checklist. Statistical tests, Fisher, t-test and chi-square, and SPSS version 16 software were used for data analysis.

The average age of the study participants was 71.6±7.1 and 54.2% of them were male. The most common chronic disorders were high blood pressure (55.1%), vision disorders (42%), diabetes (31.9%) and depression (29.7%). Diabetes was more common in women (P=0.003), people with less education (P=0.014), those who lived alone (P=0.003), body mass index higher than 27 (P=0.005), and those with risk of malnourished (P=0.001), and it was significantly less in the elderly who were employed (P=0.002). High body mass index was also significantly associated with seven diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid, neurological, osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia, and depression. Adequacy of monthly income was associated with only one disease (liver disease) and smoking was not associated with any of the diseases.

Considering the high prevalence of chronic diseases in the elderly and the many factors affecting them, it is necessary to use a multi-faceted approach in planning to prevent and reduce chronic diseases and improve the health of the elderly.