Prevalence and determinants of self-reported functional status among older adults residing in the largest refugee camp of the world

This cross-sectional study assessed self-reported functional status among 864 older adults (aged 60+) residing in the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, using face-to-face interviews conducted in November-December 2021. Functional status was measured via the Barthel Index (Cronbach's α = 0.91), with a score ≤60 indicating limited functional ability. The overall prevalence of limited functional ability was 26.5% (male: 22.6%, female: 31.5%), with greatest inability in grooming (33.2%) and bathing (31.8%). In adjusted logistic regression models, significant associations with limited functional ability were found for age 80 years or more (aOR = 2.01), being female (aOR = 1.44), low memory or concentration (aOR = 1.83), loneliness (aOR = 2.89), and living on aid alone (aOR = 2.89). Limitations include the cross-sectional design preventing causal inference, purposive sampling of sub-camps limiting generalizability, reliance on self-reported data subject to recall bias, and the absence of qualitative data on social conditions.