Elderly persons who live alone in Brazil and their lifestyle

Etienne Larissa Duim Negrini,José Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes,Carla Ferreira Do Nascimento,Alexandre Da Silva

doi:10.1590/1981-22562018021.180101

Etienne Larissa Duim Negrini, José Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-22562018021.180101

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Abstract

Abstract Objective: to assess the prevalence of elderly persons living alone in Brazil, based on covariates of health status, behavior and socio-demographic characteristics. Method: data from 11,967 individuals (aged 60 or over) were obtained from the National Health Survey (Brazil, 2013). Living alone was defined as residing in a one-person household. The prevalence of individuals living alone was stratified by socio-demographic conditions and geographic region. Living alone was also assessed as a factor for outcomes of physical functioning, behavior and health conditions. Poisson regression models were used to evaluate the prevalence ratios and a 95% confidence interval was applied. Results: in Brazil, 15.3% of people aged 60 years and over live alone. This condition is more prevalent in higher income regions; however, more lower-income individuals were affected. Prevalence was higher among women and individuals aged 75 years or more. Living alone was associated with difficulties in instrumental activities of daily living (prevalence ratio 1.15; 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.28); the reporting of an illness in the two prior to the study (PR=1.35; 95%CI=1.16-1.57); watching television (five or more hours daily) (PR=1.40; 95%CI=1.26-1.56) and falls in the previous year (PR=1.35; 95%CI=1.10-1.66). Elderly persons living alone also had worse eating habits, with a less frequent intake of meat, beans and salads than their counterparts who lived with others. Conclusion: elderly persons living alone in Brazil have a worse health status and health-related habits. These findings represent a challenge and should motivate social and health policies aimed at fulfilling the greater needs of adults who grow old alone.

Highlights

Objective: to assess the prevalence of elderly persons living alone in Brazil, based on covariates of health status, behavior and socio-demographic characteristics
The increase in longevity and the historical decline in fertility, which are characteristics of demographic transition, have resulted in new patterns of behavior, new living arrangements, and prolonged periods of widowhood without the company of family members. These changes have resulted in a large number of elderly persons with few or no close family members, while the proportion of one-person households in Brazil has grown since the 1970s5
The present study assessed the prevalence of old people living alone, defined as individuals aged 60 or over residing in one-person households

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Networks are associated with mortality risk[7,8,9,10]. In any case, the prospects for the household arrangements. The increase in longevity and the historical decline in fertility, which are characteristics of demographic transition, have resulted in new patterns of behavior, new living arrangements, and prolonged periods of widowhood without the company of family members These changes have resulted in a large number of elderly persons with few or no close family members, while the proportion of one-person households in Brazil has grown since the 1970s5. The present study assessed the prevalence of old people living alone, defined as individuals aged 60 or over residing in one-person households. The assessment of behavioral characteristics in terms of number of chronic diseases, nor in depicted better dietary patterns among elderly the prevalence of any chronic diseases, except for persons who lived with others than among those arthritis or rheumatism, with a worse profile for who lived alone The former group included a those living alone (PR: 1.18, 95% CI 1.03 -1.36).

DISCUSSION

Findings

13. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and