Fatigue in adults with no chronic disease

• Grant number: 08/00092-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2008
• End date: December 31, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing - Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Diná de Almeida Lopes Monteiro da Cruz
• Grantee: Natália Fialho Mota
• Host Institution: Escola de Enfermagem (EE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fatigue occurs among entire population, even in healthy young people with no sort of disease. It is a common symptom of chronic illnesses that interferes in patients' quality of life, and also may negatively influence treatment effectiveness by interrupting treatment. Studies on fatigue characteristics among healthy people are important to provide parameters to compare fatigue as symptom of chronic illnesses. This is a subproject of a study (Characteristics of fatigue in patients with heart failure) to characterize fatigue as symptom of heart failure. This project will describe fatigue in a sample of people with no chronic disease, using the same tools of the main research project, in order to become a reference to analyze the results of fatigue in patients with heart failure. The objectives of this research proposal are to describe fatigue in adults with no chronic disease (healthy volunteers) and to test association between fatigue and selected variables (gender, age, cohabitation, schooling, smoking, physical activity, body mass index, dyspnea and depression). The sample will be of 84 adult people (with no chronic disease), who will be interviewed on the study variables. Fatigue will be assessed by the Dutch Fatigue Scale and Dutch Exertion Fatigue Scale. Data will be analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics, parametrical and non-parametrical ones. (AU)