Geraldine Alves dos Santos

Metodologia e perfil sociodemográfico, cognitivo e de fragilidade de idosos comunitários de sete cidades brasileiras: Estudo FIBRA

Um estudo foi planejado para identificar condicoes de fragilidade em relacao a variaveis sociodemograficas, de saude, cognicao, funcionalidade e psicossociais em idosos comunitarios. Metodologia e dados preliminares sao apresentados. Foram selecionados 3.478 idosos (65 anos e mais), integrantes de amostras probabilisticas de sete cidades brasileiras escolhidas por conveniencia, participaram de sessao de coleta de dados, em ambiente comunitario. Predominaram as seguintes caracteristicas: mulheres (67,7%), casados (48%) ou viuvos (36,4%), vivendo com a familia de filho/a (52,6%), chefes de familia (64,5%) e 1-4 anos de escolaridade (49%); 28,8% eram analfabetos e 24,8% tinham deficit cognitivo; 9,1% eram frageis, 51,8% pre-frageis e 39,1% nao-frageis. Houve mais frageis entre as mulheres, os de 80 anos e mais, os viuvos, os analfabetos, os que nunca foram a escola e os com deficit cognitivo. Em geral, os dados sociodemograficos replicam os de estudos epidemiologicos brasileiros, e os de fragilidade, estado cognitivo e escolaridade, os da literatura internacional.

Methodology and social, demographic, cognitive, and frailty profiles of community-dwelling elderly from seven Brazilian cities: the FIBRA Study

A study was designed to identify conditions of frailty in relation to social, demographic, health, cognitive, functional, and psychosocial variables in community-dwelling elderly. The article presents the methodology and preliminary data. A total of 3,478 elderly (65 years and older) were selected from probabilistic samples of seven Brazilian cities chosen by convenience and participated in a data collection session in a community setting. The following characteristics predominated: women (67.7%), married (48%) or widowed (36.4%), living with a son or daughter and family (52.6%), head of family (64.5%), and 1-4 years of schooling (49%); 28.8% were illiterate and 24.8% presented a cognitive deficit; 9.1% were frail, 51.8% pre-frail, and 39.1% non-frail. There were more frail individuals among women, those 80 years or older, the widowed, the illiterate, those who had never attended school, and those with cognitive deficit. In general, the social and demographic data corroborate Brazilian epidemiological studies, while those on frailty, cognitive status, and schooling corroborate the international literature.

Interação entre qualidade do meio ambiente, estresse e a variação do gene APOE na determinação da suscetibilidade à fibromialgia

INTRODUCAO: A fibromialgia se trata de uma desordem multifatorial, cuja etiologia reside na interacao entre a susceptibilidade genetica e o ambiente. No entanto, poucos trabalhos procuram detectar quais seriam os fatores considerados de risco. OBJETIVO: Investigar a influencia genetica e sua interacao com qualidade ambiental e com estresse como possiveis fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento da fibromialgia. PACIENTES E METODOS: Neste estudo transversal, foram investigados dois grupos de mulheres, sendo 47 com diagnostico clinico de fibromialgia, e 41 mulheres do grupo controle, todas da comunidade de Novo Hamburgo, RS. O polimorfismo do gene da apolipoproteina E (APOE) foi analisado, a partir do DNA extraido do sangue total de ambas as amostras. Os fatores ambientais foram avaliados atraves do inventario de sintomas para adultos de Lipp (ISSL), para a averiguacao do estresse comportamental, e da aplicacao do dominio V do WHOQOL-100. RESULTADOS: Dentre as pacientes, foram encontradas mais mulheres com niveis altos de estresse, quando comparado a amostra controle (P < 0,001); alem disto, os escores medios do dominio V do WHOQOL-100, que avalia qualidade do meio ambiente, foram inferiores neste grupo (P < 0,001). As frequencias genotipicas e alelicas do gene APOE foram similares entre os dois grupos. A analise multivariada demonstrou que baixos escores do WHOQOL-100, aumentaram a chance de desenvolvimento da doenca em 57,7 vezes (P < 0,001), e que altos niveis de estresse foram significativamente relacionados com a doenca (OR = 197,2; P < 0,001). Essa abordagem apontou para uma interacao entre estresse e a presenca do alelo E*2 (P = 0,028). A doenca foi muito mais frequente em pacientes com altos niveis de estresse que nao eram portadoras do alelo E*2 (OR estimado = 265,1), quando comparada a pacientes com o mesmo nivel de estresse e portadoras do alelo E*2 (OR estimado = 1,06). CONCLUSAO: A presenca do alelo E*2 pode indicar possivel acao protetora para a relacao entre fibromialgia e estresseINTRODUCTION Fibromyalgia is a multifactorial disease, of which etiology is based on interaction between genetic susceptibility and environment. However, few studies attempted to identify the risk factors. OBJECTIVE To investigate the genetic influence and its interaction with environmental quality and stress, as possible risk factors for fibromyalgia development. PATIENTS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study investigated two groups of women, of which 47 had a clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia, and 41 women comprising thre control group, all from the town of Novo Hamburgo, RS. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism was analyzed in DNA extracted from total blood, in both samples. Environmental factors were studied through Lipps Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults and by applying the WHOQOL-100 domain V. RESULTS Among the patients, more women had high stress levels when compared to the control sample (P < 0.001); moreover, the average scores of the WHOQOL-100 domain V, which analyze environment quality, were lower in this group (P < 0.001). APOE genotypic and allelic frequencies were similar between the two groups. Multivariate analysis showed that low WHOQOL-100 scores increase the chance of disease development by 57.7 times (P < 0.001), and that high stress levels were related with the disease (OR = 197.2; P < 0.001). This approach pointed out an interaction between stress and presence of E*2 allele (P = 0.028). Fibromyalgia was much more frequent in patients with high stress levels that were E*2 non-carriers (estimated OR = 265.1), when compared to patients with the same stress level, but E*2 carriers (estimated OR = 1.06). CONCLUSION E*2 allele presence could have a protective action regarding the association between fibromyalgia and stress.

Coordenação global, equilíbrio, índice de massa corporal e nível de atividade física: um estudo correlacional em idosos de Ivoti, RS, Brasil

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the relationship among Body Mass Index (BMI), physical activity level, global coordination, and postural balance in an elderly population from Ivoti, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed a convenience sample of 202 elderly female and male subjects. It was used the global coordination test and the postural balance test and calculated the BMI according to the cutoff points: malnutrition: 27.0 kg/m2. The level of physical activity was classified in METs as: high active from 1,500 to 3,000 Mets-min/week; moderate from 600 to 1499 Mets-min/week and low below 600 Mets-min/week. Data was submitted to the descriptive statistical and the Spearman correlation (α = 0.05) using the SPSS software, version 16.0. The study was approved by the Ethics Research Committee of Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil. RESULTS: Among the 202 individuals, 62 (30.7%) were males and 140 (69.3%), females. The male and female age averages were 69.53 ± 6.23 and 67.52 ± 5.69 years old, respectively. The general sample age average was 68.14 ± 5.92 years. Negative correlation between BMI and global coordination and BMI and balance was detected, r = -0.423 (p < 0.01) and r = -0.3060 (p < 0.01), respectively. However, when stratified by sex, these associations were not significant for males. The physical activity level showed negative correlation when compared with BMI (r= -0,219) and with age (r= -0,241), it had a positive correlation when compared with global coordination (r= 0,274) and balance (r=0,191). When compared BMI and balance and age and balance no correlation was found in the elderly subjects classified as sufficiently active. Global coordination and balance were positively correlated to the level of physical activity only in female subjects. However, BMI is negatively correlated to the level of physical activity of both genders. CONCLUSION: it was concluded that the sample women´s high BMI may have produced worse performance on the global coordination and balance tests. There was significant moderate negative correlation between level of physical activity in total METs and BMI of both men and women and BMI, global coordination, and postural balance only among the female elderly sample. However, a positive correlation among level of physical activity in total METs, global coordination, and postural balance of the studied sample was observed.

Analysis of Resilience and its Relationships with Psychological Factors during Successful Aging

The objective of this research was to verify the relationship between resilience, successful aging, wisdom, quality of life, basic psychological needs perception, cognition and depression. The methodological design was quantitative and transversal. 161 elderly people of both sexes living in the city of Ivoti / Brazil participated. The instruments used were the Resilience Scale, Wisdom Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Inventory of Basic Psychological Needs Perceptions for the Elderly, MMSE, and Whoqol-Old. Spearmans correlation analysis identified the relationship between resilience and quality of life variables, basic psychological needs and depression. In the linear regression analysis, we found a model in which the increase of resilience is associated to the personal competence, autonomy, wisdom, cognitive performance and past, present and future activities. We conclude that the resilience association with psychological aspects in the onset of old age is an important protective factor for the maintenance of successful aging.

Oxidative damage to DNA in independent-living elderly persons and their correlations with sociodemographic, anthropometric, and functional parameters

Objective: To evaluate the correlations between oxidative DNA damage among elderly persons aged between 60 and 79 years and sociodemographic, anthropometric and functional parameters. Method: The present study has a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional design. A group of 195 independent-living elderly persons of both genders underwent blood collection and the subsequent measurement of serum concentrations of 8-OHdG, a residue generated by the attack of reactive oxygen species to DNA. The same subjects also underwent evaluation for body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and the education level of the participants was analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Spearman correlation test, Palavras-chave: Idoso.

Jogos digitais: um estudo sobre a motivação de idosos em plataformas multimodais

A expectativa de vida no mundo vem aumentando, portanto, a sociedade tera que oferecer produtos e servicos que atendam as necessidades e desejos especificos dessas pessoas que estao envelhecendo. A tecnologia, atraves dos jogos digitais, pode ser uma possibilidade de motivacao para eficacia em areas fisicas, cognitvas e psiquicas dos idosos. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar como os idosos percebem e atribuem significado a experiencia com jogos digitais em tablet, computador e console a partir da sua motivacao. O delineamento desta pesquisa e descritivo, qualitativo e transversal. Participaram do estudo 5 idosas, com mais de 60 anos. Os instrumentos de avaliacao foram roteiros de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Foram realizadas sessoes de jogos em tablets, computadores e consoles. Os resultados demonstram que as categorias de satisfacao, autonomia, competencia e relacionamento, podem ser consideradas efetivas para a percepcao da motivacao nos idosos, porem, algumas caracteristicas necessitam ser contempladas para efetivar esta motivacao