en other Orginal research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height:2;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><i><span new="" roman="" times="">Background:</span></i></b></span> <span new="" roman="" times="">Self-care ability is a determinant factor in managing the daily lives of the elderly</span><span new="" roman="" times="">. </span></span></span><br> <span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><b><i><span new="" roman="" times=""><span style="color:#2980b9;">Objectives:</span> </span></i></b><span new="" roman="" times="">This study aimed to investigate self-care ability in the elderly and related factors.</span></span></span><br> <span new="" roman="" times=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><i>Methods:</i></b></span><span style="color:black"> In this cross-sectional study, elderly people admitted to educational and medical hospitals in Zanjan in 2021 were selected by convenience sampling and 175 people over 60 years old evaluated with questionnaire including demographic information and self-care ability scale for elderly. Mean (standard deviation), frequency (percentage) and independent sample t-test were used to analyze data in SPSS 23.</span></span><br> <span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><i><span new="" roman="" times="">Results</span></i></b><b><span new="" roman="" times="">:</span></b></span><span new="" roman="" times=""> The mean (SD) score of elderly self-care in this study was 53.86 (1.41). The results showed that self-care ability is low in most participants (68%). Women have significantly higher self-care ability than men (P=0.018). With increased age, Self-care ability decreased (P=0.0001). In illiterate and lower educated people, self-care ability is significantly lower (P=0.0001), and also rural residents have significantly less self-care ability than urban residents (P=0.0001). Elderly people who were married (P=0.0001) and had a source of income (P=0.0001) had a better level of self-care.</span></span></span><br> <span style="unicode-bidi:embed"><span sans-serif=""><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b><i><span new="" roman="" times="">Conclusion:</span></i></b></span><span new="" roman="" times=""> Self-care ability is low in most elderly people, and self-care ability is worse in men, illiterate people, and villagers and self-care ability decreases with increasing age. It is suggested that simple programs be developed according to the age and level of literacy of the elderly.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div> Self-Care, Self-Care Ability, Elderly, Aged 19 25 http://nmcjournal.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-892-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Sepehr Noohi sepehrnoohi94@gmail.com 100319475328460014298 100319475328460014298 No Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran Farzaneh Karamitanha karami.tanha@gmail.com 100319475328460014299 100319475328460014299 Yes Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran Alireza Shoghli shoghli@yahoo.com 100319475328460014300 100319475328460014300 No Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran