معارف كبار السن ومواقفهم تجاه الوقاية من السقوط في مراكز الرعاية الصحية الأولية

Elderly Knowledge and Attitude toward Fall Prevention at Primary Health Care Centers

Abstract

The aging process brings many health and social problems, and in aging societies, meeting these challenges becomes an obligation. One of the challenges for elderly health is falling and its consequences. Falls among the elderly population cause frequent morbidity and mortality. That most of the causal risk factors are preventable.
A cross-sectional design was used in this study to assess the elderly’s knowledge and attitude about fall prevention and find out the association between the elderly’s knowledge and attitude and their demographic characteristics. A convenient sample of 200 elderly individuals who were attending the primary health care centers at Center Sector in Kerbala, Iraq. The study was conducted during the period from 9th October 2022 to 12th July 2023.
The questionnaire format was adopted and composed of four parts: socio-demographic, the elderly’s medical history, the knowledge domain, and the attitude domain.
The reliability of the questionnaire was determined through a pilot study, and its validity was determined by a panel of 12 experts.
The study shows that less than half (43%) of the sample has fair-level knowledge, while) 78% ) has negative attitudes toward fall prevention. The study shows there is a significant association between the elderly’s knowledge and their socio-demographic characteristics (sex, level of education, marital status, and occupational status), and there is a significant association between the elderly’s attitudes and their socio-demographic characteristics (age, level of education, and occupational status).
The study recommends a health educational program that should be applied to increase public knowledge and enhance attitudes about the fall prevention through mass media, booklets, and primary health care center staff. Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs should provide financial support to the unemployed elderly to meet the necessary needs. A manual booklet about fall prevention should be written in simple words useing attractive pictures given to the elderly in primary health care centers.