AVALIAÇÃO DO RISCO DE QUEDAS EM PESSOAS IDOSAS RESIDENTES NA ÁREA RURAL DE CAMPO GRANDE, MATO GROSSO DO SUL

Abstract

Introduction: The world population presents a considerable increase in the number of elderly people, individuals aged 60 years or over, who begin to present physiological changes arising from the aging process, leading to a decrease in mobility and balance, causing the risk of falls are more pronounced in this population. Furthermore, the aging process occurs differently in the population living in urban and rural areas, each with its own particularities in terms of way of life, work and culture. Objective: The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of risk of falls and associated risk factors among elderly people assisted by the Family Health Strategy in the rural area of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. Methodology: this is a cross-sectional study with a final sample of 324 individuals aged 60 years or over, residents of the rural area of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul and duly registered with the Family Health Strategy (ESF). Data collection was carried out from January to July 2023 through home visits, using a specific questionnaire, which encompassed sociodemographic and clinical-therapeutic variables, in addition to questions related to lifestyle and access to health services, aiming to a characterization of the research participants. Furthermore, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test was applied to assess the functional status of elderly people. A descriptive analysis of the data was carried out and Poisson regression with robust variance was subsequently applied to estimate the prevalence ratio and the level of significance. Results: The average age of study participants was 71.5 years, and the prevalence of fall risk was identified as 6.17%, corresponding to 20 people. Furthermore, in the bivariate analysis, a significant association was identified between the risk of falling in the elderly and the presence of chronic pain (PR: 3.66; 95% CI 1.25 – 10.74; p=0.018), multimorbidity (PR: 5.26; 95%CI 1.56 – 17.64; p=0.007) and history of hospitalizations in the last year (PR: 5.46; 95%CI 2.39 – 12.45; p<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, multimorbidity (RP: 4.02; 95% CI 1.18 – 13.73; p=0.026) and history of hospitalizations in the last year (RP: 4.21; 95% CI 1.82 – 9) remained in the final model. .69; p<0.001). Conclusion: The study found that the risk of falls in the elderly is increased when there are associated factors, such as multimorbidity and chronic pain, as well as a history of hospitalizations in the previous year. However, studies with an emphasis on the elderly population living in rural areas are still scarce, requiring more research in the area.