Associated Factors With Self-reported Systemic Arterial Hypertension and Diabetes in Brazilian Older Adults: Populational-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH) and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in older adults. Materials and Methods: Self-reported SAH and DM (outcomes) were obtained through a structured questionnaire. This questionnaire also collected the independent variables (sociodemographic characteristics, use of medication and access to the oral health service). Obesity, physical activity, and tooth loss were assessed using validated instruments. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression with a robust error variance were performed to determine the prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 282 older adults were included, with the prevalence of 71.28% and 21.63% for SAH and DM, respectively. SAH was significantly associated with increase in the individuals’ age (PR:1.01; 95%CI:1.00–1.02) and the positive diagnosis for obesity (PR:1.24; 95%CI:1.09–1.43). Those that do not use drugs for other conditions (PR:0.74; 95%CI:0.60–0.71) presented significantly lower PR for SAH. Non-sedentary older adults have the lower RP of DM (PR: 0.42; 95%CI: 0.24–0.74). Conclusions: A high prevalence of SAH and DM was observed among the older adults, and the main associated factors were mainly related to demographic characteristics, general health and behavioral habits.