Overweight in rural elderly: association with health conditions and quality of life

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. 913 - 922
• Main Authors: Tavares, Darlene Mara Dos Santos, Bolina, Alisson Fernandes, Dias, Flavia Aparecida, Ferreira, Pollyana Cristina Dos Santos, Santos, Nilce Maria de Freitas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese; Spanish
• Published: Brazil Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva - ABRASCO 01-03-2018
• Subjects: Brasil
• ISSN: 1413-8123; 1678-4561
• DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232018233.25492015

This study aimed to verify the association of overweight with functional disability, self-reported morbidities and quality of life (QoL) among rural elderly dwellers. This is a domestic and cross-sectional survey conducted in the rural region of a municipality of Southeast Brazil. Three hundred seventy non-overweight elderly people and 192 overweight elderly people were evaluated with the following tools: semi-structured; Katz and Lawton and scales; World Health Organization Quality of Life - BREF and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment for Older Adults. Overweight was associated with morbidities arthritis/osteoarthritis (p = 0.002), systemic arterial hypertension (p < 0.001), varicose veins (p = 0.009), heart problems (p = 0.028), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.001), cerebrovascular accident (p = 0.044) and urinary incontinence (p = 0.032). Overweight elderly had lower scores in the physical realm (p = 0.005) and higher scores in social relationships (p = 0.033) compared to those without this condition. Results point to the importance of monitoring the nutritional status of rural elderly to prevent comorbidities and improve the quality of life.