Lívia Maria Santiago

Factors associated with functional incapacity in elders living in long stay institutions in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundThe increase of the elderly population and the high prevalence of chronic diseases have contributed to the increasing importance of functional ability as a global public health problem. This study aimed to assess functional capacity in institutionalized elders, as well as undertake an exploratory analysis of its associated factors.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study with institutionalized Brazilian elders. Functional capacity was assessed using the Katz Index for Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Lawton Scale for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). The characteristics of dependent individuals were described and logistic regression models were developed for both scales. Multiple models that included all selected variables were developed using a hierarchical approach. We considered the results from the Wald test (p < 0.05) as a rule for progressing to the next level.ResultsA population of 760 elders was considered. The prevalence of dependence was 50.3% for ADL and 81.2% for IADL. We observed associations between ADL dependence and the following factors: self-report of stroke, difficulty of walking 400 meters, lower total scores in questions related to the temporal orientation section of the cognition test, and self-reports of frequently feeling upset. IADL dependence was associated with educational level, self-report of cancer, difficulty of walking 400 meters, use of glasses, and self-reported memory problems.ConclusionsSociodemographic and health conditions were associated with functional incapacity in institutionalized elders. Based on these findings, we emphasize the importance of both prevention and treatment of chronic conditions as well as social support in the maintenance of individuals’ autonomy.

Depressive symptoms in institutionalized older adults

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among institutionalized elderly individuals and to analyze factors associated with this condition. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study involving 462 individuals aged 60 or older, residents in long stay institutions in four Brazilian municipalities. The dependent variable was assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Poisson’s regression was used to evaluate associations with co-variables. We investigated which variables were most relevant in terms of presence of depressive symptoms within the studied context through factor analysis. RESULTS Prevalence of depressive symptoms was 48.7%. The variables associated with depressive symptoms were: regular/bad/very bad self-rated health; comorbidities; hospitalizations; and lack of friends in the institution. Five components accounted for 49.2% of total variance of the sample: functioning, social support, sensory deficiency, institutionalization and health conditions. In the factor analysis, functionality and social support were the components which explained a large part of observed variance. CONCLUSIONS A high prevalence of depressive symptoms, with significant variation in distribution, was observed. Such results emphasize the importance of health conditions and functioning for institutionalized older individuals developing depression. They also point to the importance of providing opportunities for interaction among institutionalized individuals.

First stage of the cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) to Portuguese

The aim of this study was to describe the initial stages of the cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) for use in the context of cancer care in Brazil. Two translations into Portuguese and two back-translations into English were carried out independently, and a formal assessment of the general and referential meanings was performed in order to obtain a synthesis version. Understanding of the synthesis version was evaluated in a pretest applied to 33 patients in an oncologic hospital of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). The version was easily applied in the intended context and was well-accepted by elders. The Portuguese version of the VES-13 proved to be well understood and adequate for testing its psychometric qualities. The latter step is currently in the final phase.

Prevalência e fatores associados à fragilidade em idosos institucionalizados das regiões Sudeste e Centro-Oeste do Brasil

AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of frailty and identify the associated factors in residents of homes for the aged of Southeast and Middle West regions of Brazil. METHODS: Sectional study with 442 institutionalized elderly in four Brazilian municipalities. Frailty was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). The characteristics of the study population were described and the prevalence of frailty was estimated. Means of the total score of TFI and of the scores of its domains were verified. Poissons regression was applied to explore the observed associations, after adjustment for confounding. RESULTS: The study population was predominantly male (64.3%) and schooled (74.1%) and mean age was 75.0 (9.9) years. Prevalence of frailty was 52.0%. The mean of TFIs total score was 4.9 (2.5) points and the means of domains physical, psychological and social were, respectively, 2.8 (1.7), 1.3 (0.9) and 0.8 (0.8). The following variables were associated with frailty in institutionalized elders: advanced age, illiteracy, comorbidity and polipharmacy. In the multivariate model, only the associations with illiteracy and comorbidity maintained statistical significance (PR=1.28 CI95% 1.07-1.54 and PR=1.48 CI95% 1.21-1.81). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of frailty was higher than the observed in two other studies that assessed this condition in institutionalized elders. The identified associations are corroborated by the scientific literature. The TFI is a multidimensional instrument based on an integral concept of frailty and the Brazilian version was adequate to evaluate this condition in institutionalized elders. However, it is important to conduct studies to assess its usefulness in elderly community residents.

Predictive validity of the Brazilian version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator for adverse health outcomes in older adults

PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the predictive value of the Brazilian Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for adverse health outcomes (falls, hospitalization, disability and death), in a follow-up period of twelve months. METHODS This longitudinal study was carried out with a sample of people using primary health care services in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At baseline the sample consisted of 963 people aged 60 years and older. A subset of all respondents participated again one year later (n = 640, 66.6% response rate). We used the TFI, the Katzs scale for assessing ADL disability and the Lawton Scale for assessing IADL disability. Falls, hospitalization and death were also assessed using a questionnaire. RESULTS The prevalence of frailty was 44.2% and the mean score of the TFI was 4.4 (SD = 3.0). There was a higher risk of loss in functional capacity in ADL (OR = 3.03, CI95% 1.45-6.29) and in IADL (OR = 1.51, CI95% 1.05-2.17), falls (OR = 2.08, CI95% 1.21-3.58), hospitalization (OR = 1.83, CI95% 1.10-3.06), and death (HR = 2.73, CI95% 1.04-7.19) for frail when compared to non-frail elderly, in the bivariate analyses. Controlling for the sociodemographic variables, the frailty domains together improved the prediction of hospitalization, falls and loss in functional capacity in ADL, but not loss in functional capacity in IADL. CONCLUSION The TFI is a good predictor of adverse health outcomes among elderly users of primary care services in Brazil and appears an adequate and easy to administer tool for monitoring their health conditions.

Self-rated health and associated factors in elderly patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

BACKGROUND Self-rated health is a useful indicator for understanding health issues in elderly populations and considered to be a predictor of adverse health outcomes in this group. This study aims to identify factors associated with self-rated health in elderly people with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. METHODS Cross-sectional study performed at a cancer referral hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, included 162 patients, aged 60 or more years. All patients received a Multidimensional Geriatric Assessment, including seven health dimensions, and socio-demographic, epidemiological and it were collected clinical data. Descriptive analyses were performed and prevalence ratios were calculated to assess associations between self-rated health and the independent variables. Multivariate analysis was performed using Poissons regression, to a ≤0.05 level of statistical significance. RESULTS The study population mean age was 68.8 (SD=7.1) years; most were women, lived with a partner and had little education. Prevalence of fair/poor self-rated health was 33.6%. Being female, not living with a partner, functional dependence, depressive symptoms and nutritional risk/malnutrion showed associations with fair/poor self-rated health. In the multiple model, dependence in instrumental activities of daily living (PR 2.96; 95%CI 1.66-5.30) and presence of depressive symptoms (PR 1.78; 95%CI 1.15-2.75) remained associated with fair/poor health. CONCLUSION Variation in perceived health status supports the hypothesis that self-rated health is related to multiple issues, regardless of disease status. The risk profile for poor self-rated health identified may be a useful tool in care for older cancer patients, as it points to those at higher risk of adverse health outcomes.