Perfil epidemiológico e nutricional de idosos que frequentam um centro de convivência em Cuiabá – MT

Abstract

The elderly population is growing worldwide. It’s important to know the factors that are related with future and life quality of this people. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize a group of old-aged people from a Companionship Center of Cuiabá - MT, describing sociodemographic, financial, nutritional and health characteristics. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, and data were built using the Microsoft Excel software. The study included 94 elderly people, 85% female. The average age found was 68 ± 4.95 years. The mean BMI was 29.24 ± 6.22 for men and 30.83 ± 2.68 for women. Nutritional status showed that most of them were overweight (74.5%). Sociodemographic characteristics indicated that 38.3% were married, 31.9% lived with the spouse and 44.7% had incomplete elementary education. Earnings showed that 55.3% were benefited with (01) minimum wage. Smoking and alcohol consumption was negative for 94.7% and 85.1% respectively. All of them (100%) practiced some physical activity. Regular health status was the most prevalent (60.4%) when they were questioned about self-rated health. In conclusion, the knowledge of the profile of this growing population enables to understand their needs, and helps to the create actions and measures that promote well-being and quality of life for this people.