Seven-year survival of elders classified according to lifestyle in a medium-sized city in São Paulo State, Brazil

• Grant number: 10/02232-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2010
• End date: June 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: Tania Ruiz
• Grantee: Tania Ruiz
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: José Eduardo Corrente

Abstract

The world population has grown older. As a result, mortality and survival data are unquestionably important for planning healthcare provision and social policies. After analysis, a population inquiry conducted in (SP) in 2003 showed, in the studied population, the existence of elders' profiles according to the coincidence of answers given to a questionnaire that evaluated quality of life and lifestyle. This study aimed at investigating the elders' survival according to the groups identified. The base data for survival estimation are population data systematically sampled on the city's plan after a demographic census had been taken, one household in every four, beginning randomly and later drawing lots for the elders from the households sampled for unknown prevalence. For survival analyses, deaths due to all causes and to some specific causes, such as cardiovascular mortality, will be considered as "events". The Kaplan-Meier estimator and the log-rank test will be used for each risk factor separately as well as to evaluate the effect of each group to which the elders belong, according to the previously performed analyses. The Cox regression model will be used by respecting its assumption of proportional odds among the various strata of each variable. In order to fit the model, the group to which the elders belong will be considered in addition to demographic variables, such as gender, age and social status, by hierarch zing the multiple regression model. The statistical software SAS for windows, v.9.2, will be used for the analyses.* Department of Public Health - Botucatu School of Medicine - Department of Biostatistics - Biosciences Institute - UNESP (AU)