Abstract
To analyze the influence of demographic, health condition, and lifestyle factors on body balance disorders among elderly subjects living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, in 2006. Thestudy was developed based on information provided by the Health, Well-being, and Aging (SABE) Study. Itincluded 60-year-old subjects, both men and women, or those over this age. The sample comprised 1,226 subjects that represented 930,639 elderly subjects. The dependent variable was the elderly's body balance disorder, which was measured using part of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). The independent variables were divided into three groups: demographic, health conditions, and lifestyle. The multiple binary logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the association between balance disorders and demographic, health, and lifestyle variables in the elderly. Age, difficulties in at least one mobility, and performance of regular physical activities showed a significant influence on the elderly's body balance (p < 0.05). Age was the strongest related determiner. Being aged 75-79 years and 80 years or more increased 3.77 and 5.31 times, respectively, the chances of the elderly subjects present balance disorders in comparison with the 60- to 64-years-old. Preventive measures that aim at reversing a body instability condition should be preconized and incorporated in the elderly's health-care schedule.
Highlights
Aging is a continuous and progressive physiological phenomenon lived by people throughout their entire lives and is characterized by psychological, social, genetic, and biological changes[1].The physiological process of aging compromises, among other body systems, the central nervous system (CNS) capacity in performing the process of vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive signals, responsible for body balance maintenance, and it decreases the capacity of adaptive reflex modifications
In Brazil, the SABE study involved the bordering limits of São Paulo city; 2,143 noninstitutionalized male and female subjects aged 60 years or older were interviewed in the period from January 2000 to March 200117
The elderly subjects who usually perform physical activities decreased 66% the chances of having balance disorders (p < 0.05) compared with the elderly subjects who do not practice them. This present study found factors associated with the changes in body balance of elderly subjects living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, in the year of 2006
Summary
The physiological process of aging compromises, among other body systems, the central nervous system (CNS) capacity in performing the process of vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive signals, responsible for body balance maintenance, and it decreases the capacity of adaptive reflex modifications. These degenerative processes are responsible for the occurrence of vertigo and/or dizziness and balance disorders in the population of elderly subjects[2]. Body balance disorder is one of the factors that limit the elderly subject’s life. According to data found by Coutinho et al.[8], the elderly people’s mortality in 1 year after
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