Functional dependency and its associated factors among older adults in Indonesia

Background/Purpose: this study aims to investigate dependency accordingto Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(IADL) indices and its associated risk and protective factors among Indonesianolder adults.Methods: the sociodemographic factors and health variables from theIndonesia Family Life Survey-5 (IFLS-5), the only large-scale longitudinal fieldsurvey in Indonesia, cross-sectional data of 4236 older adults aged 60 andover were used. ADL and IADL were assessed using the Katz and Lawtonindices. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assessthe associations between dependency (measured by ADL and IADL) andsociodemographic, health variables, and other factors.Results: among older adults (mean age: 66.88±6.23), 12.7% and 25.6% weredependent based on ADLs and IADLs, respectively. ADL and IADL limitationswere associated with older age, living in rural areas, low life satisfaction,self-perceived unhealthy, low social capital, depression, having one or morechronic conditions, having dementia, engaging low physical activities, beingoverweight/obese, having a history of falls and self-reported insomnia.Conclusion: improving physical and mental health, creating more age-friendlyenvironment, and reducing chronic morbidities through increasingsocial capital and physical activity to maintain a healthy weight can all reducethe risk for dependency and are particularly important in rural areas. Effectiveand local government policy can support this