Fatores associados à queda e medo de cair em pessoas idosas da Amazônia: um estudo transversal

Abstract

Introduction: The number of elderly people has grown worldwide and in parallel there is an increase in chronic diseases, physical dysfunctions and the occurrence of health problems. The decline in physiological functions compromises the various systems, resulting in a decrease in the most varied functions and capabilities. It is common to find, among other problems, the occurrence of falls and the fear of falling, especially in older people. The presence of these components causes the elderly person to have limitations, reduced functional capacity and compromised quality of life. In the Amazon, it has not yet been fully understood how these problems occur in elderly people, and as it is an area with difficult access to healthcare and with specific sociocultural aspects, studies focused on this topic are essential. Objective: identify factors associated with falls and fear of falling in elderly people living in an urban area in the interior of Amazonas. Method: cross-sectional, population-based study, carried out with 274 elderly people aged 60 or over, living in the urban area of the municipality of Coari (AM). Of the total, 274 remained in the analysis, 257 for falls and 251 for fear of falling, differences due to lack of data. The analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences® (SPSS), version 22.0. Bivariate analyzes were applied to the variables of interest, and those with p<0.20 were included in the multiple model. Poisson regression with robust variance was used for multivariate analysis and calculation of prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence interval. The final model was the Forward Stepwise method, with variables with p<0.05 remaining in the model after insertion. Results: falls were associated with the following factors: loss of urine, male sex, negative self-report of health and being dependent on basic activities of daily living; the factors associated with fear of falling were suspected depression, being dependent on basic activities of daily living, loss of urine, taking more than three medications and not having a partner. Conclusion: there was a prevalence of falls (29.2%) and a high prevalence of fear of falling (65.8%) in elderly people in the city of Coari (AM). The factors associated with falls and fear of falling, loss of urine, self perception of general health and depression are factors that can be modified and can contribute to the prevention of these problems.