Disability and multimorbidity in women older than 50 years: a population-based household survey

Author(s)

Aguiar, Luiza Borges ^[1] ; Baccaro, Luiz Francisco ^[1] ; Santos Machado, Vanessa de Souza ^[1] ; Pinto-Neto, Aarao Mendes ^[1] ; Costa-Paiva, Lucia ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Gynecol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MENOPAUSE-THE JOURNAL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MENOPAUSE SOCIETY; v. 22, n. 6, p. 660-666, JUN 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of disability and associated factors in Brazilian women older than 50 years. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study (in the form of a population survey) of 622 women older than 50 years and residing in Campinas, Brazil. Disability was assessed through a questionnaire with seven items and defined as ``being completely unable to perform any of them.{[}Independent variables included self-perception of health, sociodemographic data, health-related habits, and morbidities. Statistical analysis was carried out by chi(2) test and Poisson regression. Results: The mean age of women was 64.1 years, and the prevalence of disability was 43.4%. Age (prevalence ratio {[}PR], 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03), fear of falling (PR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.17-2.16), higher body mass index (PR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05), personal history of myocardial infarction (PR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.06-1.76), smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day (PR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.04-1.72), hospitalization in the past year (PR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.03-1.62), multimorbidity (PR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.02-2.02), and use of any medication prescribed by a doctor (PR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.02-2.41) were associated with a higher prevalence of disability. Self-perception of health as good/very good (PR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52-0.86), use of alternative medications (PR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.33-0.90), and more years of schooling (PR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93) were associated with a lower prevalence of disability. Conclusions: The results improve our understanding of the factors associated with disability in Brazilian women and may help identify those who need multidisciplinary support to reduce effects on quality of life. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/15867-1 - Health conditions in women over 50: a population-based study in the municipality of Campinas-SP
• Grantee: Aarao Mendes Pinto Neto
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants