65 Yaş Ve Üstü Bireylerin Aktif ve Sağlıklı Yaşlanmasında Coğrafi Çevre Koşullarının Etkileri

Abstract

This research was planned to examine the effects of geographical environment factors on active and healthy aging. The population of the research consists of older adults (65+ years old) living in neighborhoods with different socio-economic characteristics of Giresun, and the sample consists of 457 older adults selected from these neighborhoods. A questionnaire was used in order to collect data and within this scope, the level of active aging of individuals aged 65 and over in Giresun was calculated using the Active Aging Index questions that was prepared by Zaidi et al. (2013). The data were analyzed through Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H-test, Chi-square test and Word Cloud method. Participants of the 51.6% were male and 48.4% were female with an average age of M=71,85 (SD=0.3154). The effects of geographical environmental characteristics on health and elderly health were discussed in the light of literature. The data of health problems in elderly individuals were obtained from a private hospital in Giresun and 457 participants. According to the research results, the active aging index score of Giresun was found out to be 26.1. “Employment” with 11.7 is the lowest while “Capacity and Enabling Environment For Active Ageing” parameter is the highest with 63.0 out of everything. Elderly individuals that have no health problems or with fewer health problems tend to age more actively (U=11876.50; p<0.05). Activity levels of elderly individuals with health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and bone/joint problems decrease. 46.9% of the participants experience an increase in some health problems related to seasons. It was found out that women (53.6%) are more affected by seasonal changes compared to men (40.7%). According to the data elderly individuals seems to have more health problems in winter (36.0%) out of all the seasons while the season with the lowest is summer (4.2%). There is an increase in joint, muscle, body aches and rheumatism problems in winter. The situation of being affected by environmental problems and disasters differs significantly according to the presence of participants’ diabetes (U=1661.000; p<0.005), asthma (U=9063.500; p<0.05), rheumatism (U=18469.500; p <0.05), and bone/joint diseases (U=18649.500; p<0.05). The factor of slopes in Giresun significantly differs in terms of bone/joint (U=17925.500; p =0.000<0.05) and rheumatism diseases (U=18406.000; p=0.011<0.05). There is also a significant difference (p<0.05) between the presence of chronic diseases in participants and household monthly income. It was found out that rheumatism and bone/joint diseases are more concentrated in elderly individuals with lower incomes.