Impacto de fatores socioculturais, econômicos e de saúde na qualidade de vida de idosos residentes em Manaus-AM

Abstract

Introduction: Populational aging triggered an increase in the prevalence of dysfunctions and chronic diseases that can impact on quality of life of elderly. To evaluate the quality of life World Health Organization (WHO) developed several instruments including an easy use and low-cost WHOQOL-Bref instrument. This instrument gives a general evaluation of elderly quality of life and a cut-off point to identify elderly with poor quality of life was suggested in the literature recently (< 60 points indicates poor quality of life). Objectives: The objective of the present study was to estimate quality of life of elderly inserted in Family Health Strategy (FHS) from Manaus-Amazonas. Methods: A cross-investigation of two conglomerates was conducted in elderly inserted in FHS Manaus. Data collection was made in the house of the elderly by previously trained interviewers. After the database organization and analysis of the profile of quality of life of older people, they were categorized into two groups: those who had a score of <60 points (PLQ = poor life quality) and> 60 points (RGLQ = Regular and good life quality). Socioeconomic, cultural indicators of lifestyle and health were compared between these two groups using chi-square test or Student t. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was also performed. The conducted study of the project was previously approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Amazonas State University and all participants signed a Consent Form Clarified. Results: A total of 1509 elderly included in the study, we evaluated the quality of life in 1431 individuals. The average age of the sample was 70.9±7.6 years. Almost elderly was married (56.5%), illiterate (25.6%) or had a very low education (62%). with very low income (60%) and lived with spouse or spouse and other relatives (52.4%). A relative high number of elderly (n=297, 20.8%) self-reported to perform some habitual physical activity, 353 (24.7%) subjects reported that smoke or smoked in the past and 102 (7.1%) said that believe to intake high quantity of alcoholic beverages. The mean WHOQOL-Bref score was 87.9±11.6 points. A total of 88 elderly (6.1%) were included in the PQL group while 1342 (93.9%) were included in the elderly RGLQ group. The PLQ group had a frequency of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) significantly higher when compared to the RGLQ group. This association was independent of sex and age. PQL also showed high frequency of elderly that self-reported very poor/poor vision, hearing and prevalence of hospitalizations. This association was independent of sex and age. Conclusion: The results suggest that no association was found between quality of life and age or gender. Elderly widows had a higher prevalence of low quality of life than elderly with another marital status. Already education, income and living with the relatives did not influence the quality of life of elderly investigated, as well as lifestyle indicators such as smoking and physical activity either. The association analysis between different morbidities and quality of life showed that elderly PQL group had a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease than elderly RGQL group.