@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2008-2630    Iranian Journal of War & Public Health 2019;11(4):207-214

Background
… [1]. In most societies, the elderly face the greatest risk of impaired physical, psychological, and cognitive abilities and are more likely to rely on formal and informal support to maintain health, performance, and self-sufficiency [2].
Previous Studies
... [3-12]. On the other hand, according to life cycle theory, some events that occur during one's life lead to different experiences in people and changes in health. For example, war affects human health [13]. Numerous studies have shown that war can have devastating physical and psychological effects on individuals. Studies have shown that the conflict that results from warfare can lead to more deaths than any physical illness or disability. War will have devastating effects on communities and families, especially the survivors [14, 15]. ... [16, 17].
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to investigate the physical and mental health status and related demographic factors in elderly parents of martyrs.
Research type
This research was a cross-sectional descriptive study.
Research society, place and time
This study was carried out in 2018 on elderly parents of martyrs in Tehran.
Sampling method and number
600 people were included in the study through proportional random sampling.
Used devices&materials
Using the available information, based on the addresses and telephone numbers in the Center's documentation, the number of elderly parents living in each district of Tehran was determined and six districts (9, 1, 15, 4, 5 and 19) were randomly selected. According to the frequency of elderly parents of martyrs in each selected district, the sample size was selected according to the frequency of the study population. Due to the high number of parents of martyrs in Tehran, their telephone numbers were randomly selected. Two questioners were trained simultaneously by the researchers on how to collect information and ask questions. Data were collected using Demographic questionnaire, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Questionnaire [18-20], and WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 software, independent T-test, one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test.
Findings by Text
The mean age of the elderly was 76.82 ± 7.45 years and the majority of them was Fars and married (Table 1).The mean score of ADL was 10.07 ± 3.17 and the mean score of the WHO-5 Well-Being Index was 11.60 ± 5.87. Also, most of the elderly were depenThe ability to perform ADL, as an indicator of physical health, was significantly correlated with demographic variables of age, marital status, ability to read and write, and the number of sources of income. Those younger than 85 years, married, able to read and write, and having more than two sources of income obtained the higher mean scores (Table 3).dent in terms of ADL and had low level of well-being (Table 2).According to the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, there was a statistically significant relationship between mental well-being of the elderly and gender, marital status, ability to read and write, and number of sources of income; mental health was higher in men, married, literate cases who had more than two sources of income (Table 4).
Main comparison to the similar studies
The results showed that only about 18% of the elderly were independent to perform daily activities and about 72% of the subjects were dependent for their motor activities. This finding was consistent with a Jaghtae & Nejati study that reported 81.7% of the elderly independent, 13.2% in need of help, and 5% fully dependent [23] and is not consistent with the studies by Nourbakhsh et al. and Alizadeh et al. [24, 25]. ... [26-30]. Also, only about 46% of the elderly reported good psychological well-being, which is consistent with the study by Afzali et al. [31] ... [32-34]. In this study, mental health was higher in men, married elderly, people with reading and writing ability, and more than two sources of income. The results of this study are in line with those of Najafi et al. [35]. ... [36, 37].
Suggestions
None.
Limitations
Given the cross-sectional design of the study, causal relationships in the study should be avoided.
Conclusions
The physical and mental health status of the elderly parents of martyrs in Tehran is low and is related to demographic factors, such as age, gender, marital status, source of income and ability to read and write.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to all the families of martyrs and their parents for participating in this study and also the Office of Studies and Research of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, and those who who assisted us in this study.
Conflict of interest
None.
Ethical Permissions
This study was approved by the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (1690).
Funding Sources
This research was extracted from a research approved by the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (1690).

TABLES and CHARTS

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