Dehydration risk factors and outcomes in older people in rural areas

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

The distribution of dehydration appraisal checklist (N = 305)_

Items	Min–max	Range	Mean ± SD
Physiological signs of dehydration	0–6	0–5	3.12 ± 1.70
Clinical signs of dehydration	0–8	0–7	3.46 ± 1.1
Functional signs of dehydration	0–9	0–9	6.65 ± 1.87
Total dehydration risk	0–23	0–21	13.02 ± 4.05

The distribution of the medications that increase the risk for dehydration (N = 305)_

Medication may increase risk for dehydration	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Laxatives	201	65.9
Diuretics	237	77.7
Anti-inflammatory	245	80.3
Anti-acids	248	81.3
Anti-depressant	45	14.8
Cortisone	91	29.8
Chemotherapy	7	2.3

Correlation between the type of medication and risk for dehydration (N = 305)_

Medication	Dehydration risk level						χ2	P
	Low risk		Moderate risk		High risk
	F	%	F	%	F	%
Laxatives							23.464	0.008**
Yes	89	44.3	85	42.3	27	13.4
No	71	68.3	33	31.7	0	0.0
Diuretics							9.196	0.010**
Yes	118	49.8	92	38.8	27	11.4
No	42	61.8	26	38.2	0	0.0
Anti-inflammatory							67.691	0.000***
Yes	100	40.8	118	48.2	27	11.0
No	60	100	0	0.0	0	0.0
Anti-acids							54.539	0.000***
Yes	105	42.3	116	46.8	27	10.9
No	55	96.5	2	3.5	0	0.0
Antidepressant							23.741	0.007**
Yes	10	22.2	25	55.6	10	22.2
No	150	57.7	93	35.8%	17	6.5
Cortisone							40.911	0.000***
Yes	33	36.3	36	39.6	22	24.2
No	127	59.3	82	38.3	5	2.3
Chemotherapy							0.458	0.79*
Yes	4	57.1	2	28.6	1	14.3
No	156	52.3	116	38.9	26	8.7

Distribution of the study subjects regarding demographic data of the elderly (N = 305)_

Demographic characteristics	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Age, years (Mean ± SD [67.47 ± 5.95])
60–65	144	47.0
65–70	90	29.5
70–75	40	13.1
75–80	18	5.9
≥80	13	4.3
Sex
Male	156	51.1
Female	149	48.9
Marital status
Single	7	2.3
Married	210	68.9
Divorced	4	1.3
Widowed	84	27.5
Having siblings
Yes	286	93.8
No	19	6.2
Educational level
Can’t read or write	137	44.9
Can read	168	55.1
Work status
Works	72	23.6
Does not work	233	76.4
Type of work, either current or previous
Employee	23	7.5
Farmer	154	50.5
Handicraftsman	56	18.4
Retired	72	23.6
With whom do you live?
Alone	11	3.6
With spouse	129	42.3
With a sibling	161	52.8
Others	4	1.3

Distribution of the study subjects regarding the dehydration knowledge of the elderly (N = 305)_

Question	Yes N (%)	No N (%)	I don’t know N (%)
Understanding the meaning of dehydration
Have you heard about dehydration?	231 (75.7)	7 (2.3)	67 (21.7)
Dehydration happens when not having enough fluid	227 (74.4)	15 (4.9)	63 (20.7)
Dehydration happens when you lose too much fluid	132 (43.3)	37 (12.1)	136 (44.6)
Prevention of dehydration
Drinking enough fluids (milk, juice, or water) is necessary to prevent dehydration	208 (68.2)	12 (3.9)	85 (27.8)
Avoid hot weather	102 (33.4)	91 (29.8)	112 (36.7)
Avoid direct exposure to sunlight	112 (36.7)	86 (28.2)	107 (35.0)
Having food rich in fluid (soup, fruits, and vegetables)	110 (36.1)	81 (26.6)	114 (37.4)
Consequences of dehydration
Dehydration may lead to kidney disease	190 (62.3)	30 (9.8)	86 (28.2)
Dehydration may lead to confusion	148 (48.5)	27 (8.9)	130 (42.6)
Dehydration may lead to death	135 (44.3)	43 (14.1)	127 (41.6)