Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tuzla and Faculty of Food Technology, University of J. J. Strossmayer Osijek
Abstract
Social inclusion, besides positively contributing to the longevity of an individual, can be a protective factor against various depressive and psychological states with preventative action on injury to older persons as well. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between epidemiological, socioeconomic and sociodemographic features of injuries occurring in the elderly, as well as the association of the social inclusion of the elderly and epidemiological characteristics of the injuries. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Osijek area from June to August 2017 and involved 215 elderly people who independently completed an anonymous questionnaire that contained questions about sociodemographic, socioeconomic and epidemiological features associated with injuries that they had experienced during the last year as well as about their social inclusion. During one year, 54.9% of the elderly experienced an injury. Participants indicated fall or slip as the most common cause of injury and most commonly outside the home, while the most commonly injured parts of body were knee and ankle. Also, the study has shown how elderly with lower family contact (p=0.035) are at increased risk of injury. Given the frequency of injuries among elderly, an important factor in prevention of this public health problem should certainly be the possibility of their social inclusion as well as larger integration into society
