Health indicators among elderly active and insufficiently active residents in rural areas

Abstract

Study design: cross-sectional study. Study objective: To examine the association between health indicators in active and insufficiently active older adults. Methodology: The study included individuals 60 years or older residing in rural Jequie - BA who were registered in the Family Health Strategy program in the district Itajurú. Sociodemographic data, behavioral characteristics, health status, history of falls, cognitive status and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. For data analysis, we used the procedures of descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, “t” test for independent samples and the Mann-Whitney test (significance level p ≤0.05). Results: Ninety-five individuals were interviewed, including 55 women and 40 men between the ages of 60 and 96 years (73.5 ± 9.4).The prevalence of physical inactivity was 40%, being higher among the elderly who live alone reported that patients with cognitive impairment, who could not read and write with a history of falls in the last year. The older people with lower BMI were more active compared to their peers. Conclusion: The elderly who not reached the recommended adequate levels of physical activity had health conditions more unfavorable. We recommend the implementation of public policies to promote physical activity in order to improve health conditions, especially the elderly residents of rural areas