Recent trends in Geriatrics and Gerontological Studies - State Level Conference

Chairman
Professor A. K. Mazumdar
Ex. Professor & Head, Department of Medicine
IPGME&R, S.S.K.M. Hospital & Calcutta Medical College

Statistical analysis of Health Hazards of elderly people in West Bengal

Dr. Dilip Kumar Chakraborty, Teacher-in-charge, Netaji Nagar Day College

Mrs. Malabika Chakraborty, Lecturer (Contract) Department of Computer Science

Ageing is a multidisciplinary field. This means that the study of ageing combines or integrates information from several separate areas of study. Mathematics, Computer Science, Biology, Sociology and Psychology are the ‘core' or basic areas, along with many other areas of study, such as public policy, humanities and economics.

Gerontology is the study of the ageing processes in individuals as they grow from middle age through later life. It includes

1. The study of physical, mental and social changes in older people as they age
2. The investigation of the changes in society resulting from our ageing population
3. The application of this knowledge to policies and programs. As a result of the multidisciplinary focus on gerontology, professionals from diverse fields call themselves 'gerontologists'.

Geriatrics is:

1. The study of health and diseases in later life
2. The comprehensive health care of older persons and well-being of their informal caregiver.

With increase in life expectancy due to tremendous advancement of medical sciences, the emerging scenario of the modern world is an ageing society. Statistical data reveals that approximately 60% of the population is aged over 60. This trend is resulting in requirement for research work on critical problems arising due to ageing like

•  Post retirement psychological problems

•  Health hazards

•  Spirituality etc.

Under the present circumstances, with the demographic explosion of India 's ageing population persons having professional know how in this field are required more. The situation is even grave for aged people in India and other third world countries where they have to depend physically and financially on others for their survival. This paper is constituted with an effort to find how much effect factors like income and age have on health of the elderly.

A survey was conducted by the Department of Mathematics, Department of Computer Science and the Computer Centre and data collection on interdisciplinary gerontological studies was made. The samples collected from this survey from Kolkata and around are used for this purpose.

The health problems are classified into two major groups:

Group 1 (minor health problems)

1. Back / Neck pain
2. Vision problem
3. Hypertension
4. Walking problem
5. Hearing problem
6. Arthritis

Group II (major health problems)

1. Fractured bones / Joint injury
2. Lungs / breathing problem
3. Heart problem
4. Stroke
5. Other life taking problems

The age of elderly are divided into six major age groups:

1. 60 yrs – 64 yrs.
2. 65 yrs – 69 yrs.
3. 70 yrs. - 74 yrs.
4. 75 yrs – 79 yrs
5. 80 yrs – 84 yrs.
6. 85 yrs – 89 yrs.

The health problems are counted in numbers and they are converted into their (%) ratio by dividing them with number of samples within that age group and multiplying with 100. Table 1 gives the following data.

Percentage of health hazards along with age

The normal distribution as against the sample survey are given in the following table:

Health hazards accordung to expected values

The significant outcomes that are attained from the above classification are

1. Both the major and minor health hazards follow the normal curve which states that both these two types of health hazards are present in elderly people and they are on the increase in the post retirement phase.
2. 2. The declining nature of the curve with the observed value are also significant since the population aged over 80 are fewer and the sampling also reflects the same thing.
3. The minor problems informed by the samples are more as compared to major health problems. This is quiet natural since all the body organs gradually get wired out with age causing minor health problems to occur like hearing problem etc. But major health problems are life taking and they occur once in a while.
4. The highest level of major as well as minor health problems occur in the age group of 80 – 84 yrs signifying the fact that the life expectancy has increased substantially over the last decade in West Bengal .

Let us now take the null hypothesis that these major and minor health hazards are not dependant on age, as against the alternative hypothesis that these two are closely associated. The correlation co-efficient for the two set of data are 12.79% and 24.3%, the observed chi-square value is -8 and 0 with degree of freedom 4. The table value of chi-square at degree of freedom 4 at 5% level of significance is 9 (approximately). Since the observed values are lower so the null hypothesis stands true. Hence, the health hazards are not closely related with age at 5% level of significance.

Hence it can be concluded that the data available explain the fact that age and health hazards are related only under the external influence of factors like income, family support, non availability of medi-care services and other demographic factors.