Risk and protective factors for the development of chronic diseases in a rural elderly population in Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Objective: to verify risk and protective factors for the development of chronic diseases among elderly persons living in the rural area of Linha Senador Ramiro, in Nova Bassano, Rio Grande do Sul. Methods: a cross-sectional censitary-based study was conducted of 70 male and female subjects aged 60 years or over. The subjects were interviewed through a questionnaire and anthropometrically evaluated (weight, height and waist circumference (WC)). The risk factors considered were: smoking, excess weight, intake of saturated fat, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption. The protective factors were: physical activity during leisure time, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and cancer prevention. Results: the population was composed of 70 elderly persons, with a mean age of 70.4 ± 7.8 years. A total of 65.7% of the sample were women, 57.1% considered their health "normal", 72.3% said they were not sedentary and, among women, 78.3 and 47.8% performed mammography and Pap screening, respectively. The prevalence of excess weight was 55.9% and 76.5% of individuals were at increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, according to waist circumference. Hypertension was the most prevalent chronic disease (64.3%). The prevalence of daily consumption of vegetables and fruit was 85.7% and 68.6%, respectively; wine, 54.3%, pork fat and queijo colonial (a local cheese) 75.7%, respectively, and homemade bread 87.1%. A total of 7.1% of the population said they smoked. Conclusions: the risk factors identified were high intake of saturated fat, excess weight and a high waist circumference. The protective factors were regular consumption of fruit and vegetables, low rates of physical inactivity and smoking, regular and moderate consumption of wine and preventive examinations. Further studies can assess the true association of these factors with the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Falls of elderly people living in rural areas: prevalence and associated factors

“…Elderly people with low schooling had a greater occurrence of falls in the bivariate analysis, although this association was not statistically significant in the final predictive model, which is consistent with a study performed by Cruz et al (29) with 462 non-institutionalized elderly individuals. A study performed with elderly living in the rural area of a municipality in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul also showed harmonic data with this research in the rural area of the municipality of Pelotas (28) .…”

“…On the other hand, there is a consensus in national and international literature about the prevalence of falls in older people, since with increasing age the senescence process causes progressive and functional changes (3,24,27) . A study conducted with elderly people living in rural areas showed that the majority were included in the age group of 60-69 years, but this survey was about the presence of chronic diseases among the individuals (28) . This research, in Pelotas, confirmed the presence of accidents due to falls in the majority of younger seniors, a fact that may be associated with the study carried out by this population, which is more arduous and requires more resourcefulness as a result of irregular terrain, as well as the presence of chronic diseases.…”

Perfil epidemiológico de idosos hipertensos no Brasil: uma revisão integrativa

“…Esta característica marca a transição nutricional no país outrora exclusivo de áreas urbanas. Por outro lado, a inclusão de atividade física regular aliada a uma transformação de hábitos alimentares, onde ocorra a diminuição do consumo de produtos industrializados, ricos em açúcares e gorduras; e consequentemente a introdução de uma alimentação variada, de alto valor nutricional, mostrasse condição essencial e definitiva para a redução no número de hipertensos como também para o aumento da qualidade de vida dessa população 6 …”

“…Dentre os principais fatores de risco encontrados em pesquisas e estudos estão à circunferência elevada da cintura, o excesso de peso e o consumo de gorduras saturadas com frequência; além disso, os pacientes costumam ter maus hábitos como fumar, consumir bebidas alcoólicas e não fazer exercícios físicos regularmente 6 . O Programa HIPERDIA -Programa Nacional de Hipertensão e Diabetes Mellitus do Ministério da Saúde -inscreve, acompanha e avalia pacientes hipertensos e/ ou diabéticos, com a finalidade de fazer uma intervenção ativa sobre esta população e traçar metas, possuindo, para isto, um banco de dados detalhado por faixa etária, sexo, medicamentos utilizados e medição da pressão arterial.…”

Vulnerabilidades e risco em saúde: percepção dos idosos

“…Para Focchesatto et al, 31 as doenças crônicas não transmissíveis (DCNT) são predominantes nos idosos e constituem como importante risco à saúde. Nas pesquisas 11,14 os fatores que predispõe as doenças no envelhecimento são o sexo masculino, baixa renda, polimedicação, sedentarismo e percepção negativa da qualidade e vida.…”