Estudo da correlação de medidas antropométricas, hemodinâmicas e qualidade de vida de idosos

Abstract

In Brazil, it is estimated that in 2025, the elderly population will grow 15%, which will correspond to 30 million elderly people, making the country the sixth in the world in number of elderly people. Factors such as the decrease in birth and mortality rates, better quality and life expectancy, greater access to the health system, medicines and technological advances, may have contributed to this increase. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the quality of life, overcoming the loss estimation or disease diagnosis, characteristic of the aging process. The present study is cross-sectional with parametric variables, with the objective of investigating whether there is a correlation between anthropometric and hemodynamic measures and quality of life in the elderly. The activities were carried out with methodological rigor starting with the assessment of quality of life, using the questionnaire validated and culturally structured for Brazil, the SF-36 (short version). As well as the anthropometric measurements of body mass, height, waist and hip circumference, body mass index, waist-hip ratio and body adiposity index were collected, together with hemodynamic measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, perception subjective effort and maximum oxygen volume at rest and during an interval test of submaximal effort on a treadmill, with the purpose of indirectly estimating aerobic capacity and using the lowest glycemic value to determine the anaerobic threshold. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's linear correlation coefficient were used for data analysis at a 5% significance level (p < 0.05). Women aged 60 to 69 years showed that the older the age, the lower the aerobic capacity estimated by VO2MÁX.E (p < 0.05). Women of the same age and above 70 years of age found that the decrease in height decreased vitality (p < 0.05). Men aged 60 to 69 years old, high age values increased the limitation due to social aspects, mental health and decreased aerobic capacity (p < 0.05). Men aged over 70 years old indicated that increasing age decreased cardiorespiratory fitness both at rest and during the exercise test (p < 0.05). Based on the results, we reject the null hypothesis, in which there is no correlation between anthropometric, hemodynamic and quality of life measures, considering that the intensity and meaning of these correlations depend on factors such as age, sex, lifestyle, body composition, time and frequency of physical exercise. We conclude that anthropometric and hemodynamic measures are correlated with important aspects of quality of life, contributing to the improvement, control and evaluation of programs aimed at the elderly, involving physical exercises, thus benefiting the process of active aging with quality of life.