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Impact of the 26 December 2003 Bam Earthquake on Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living of Older People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2011

Ali Ardalan ,
Monir Mazaheri ,
Hani Mowafi ,
Michael VanRooyen ,
Fariba Teimoori  and
Reza Abbasi
Ali Ardalan*
Affiliation:
Health in Emergencies and Disasters Department, National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Disaster Public Health Department, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Monir Mazaheri
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Hani Mowafi
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts USA Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Michael VanRooyen
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Fariba Teimoori
Affiliation:
Iranian Research Centre on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Reza Abbasi
Affiliation:
Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
*
Correspondence: Ali Ardalan No. 78 Italia Ave.Health in Emergencies and Disasters Department National Institute of Health ResearchTehran University of Medical SciencesTehran, Iran Email: aardalan@gmail.com or aardalan@tums.ac.ir
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Abstract

Introduction: This study compares self-reported Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) status among elderly survivors of the 2003 Bam Earthquake before, two months after, and five years after the event, and explores related determinants.

Methods: A two-stage cluster survey was conducted on 210 elderly survivors in the earthquake-stricken area five years after the event.

Results: Both ADL and IADL scores decreased two months after earthquake compared to prior status (p <0.001). No differences were observed between two months and five years after the event (p >0.05). Access to medical services were not related to level of ADL or IADL (p = 0.52 and p = 0.74, respectively). Elderly survivors with lower functional capability in terms of ADL experienced more problems in access to relief items (p = 0.04), but no similar association was found for IADL (p = 0.26).

Conclusion: The Bam earthquake adversely affected functional capacity of the elderly. Disaster responders must take into account functional capacity of elders when planning for medical and relief operations.

Keywords

activities of daily livingdisasterearthquakeelderlyinstrumental activities of daily livingIran
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , April 2011 , pp. 99 - 108
Copyright
Copyright Ardalan © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2011

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