Abstract

Background: Functional disability is an inevitable aspect of the aging process, and associated with worse quality of life, increased risk of hospitalization, long-term care used, and mortality. While the data on functional disability are well documented in developed countries, studies from developing countries, including Vietnam, are sparse.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 695 elderly individuals aged ≥ 60 years was conducted in Thanh Hoa city and Hoang Hoa district, Vietnam. Functional status of the participants was screened using the Katz ADL Index (BADL) and the Lawton IADL scale (IADL). A backward multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with each type of functional disability. All analyses were estimated with sampling weights.

Results: In total, 11.6% (95% CI: 6.5%–16.6%) and 15.6% (95% CI: 10.4%–20.8%) of the participants reported difficulties in performing BADL and IADL, respectively. The elderly were more likely to be dependent on IADL compared to BADL. Multivariate analysis revealed that worse self-reported health, having > 2 chronic conditions, hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, and unemployment were significantly related to a higher likelihood of being disabled in both BADL and IADL. Also, living in rural areas was associated with BADL disability, while increasing age was positively associated with IADL disability.

Conclusion: This result can be used to aid health and social services agencies in targeting specific groups aimed at preventing disability in the elderly.