Factors associated to the use of psychotropc drugs by community-dwelling elderly in São Paulo City

RESUmo Os objetivos do estudo foram identificar a prevalência e os fatores associados ao uso de psicotrópicos entre os idosos do Município de São Paulo. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, de base populacional, cujos dados foram obtidos do Estudo Saúde, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento. A amostra foi constituída de 1.115 idosos de 65 anos ou mais, os quais foram entrevistados por meio de instrumento padronizado. Na aná-lise dos dados utilizou-se regressão logísti-ca univariada e múltipla stepwise forward e nível de significância de 5%. A prevalên-cia de uso de psicotrópicos foi 12,2% e os fatores associados foram sexo feminino (OR=3,04 IC95%=1,76-5,23) e polifarmácia RESUmEn Los objetivos del estudio fueron identificar la prevalencia y los factores relacionados al uso de psicotrópicos entre ancianos del São Paulo. Es un estudio trasversal, poblacional, cuyos datos fueron obtenidos del Estudio de Salud, Bien-estar y Envejecimiento. La muestra constituye de 1.115 ancianos de 65 años o más, los cuales fueron encuestados, por medio de instrumentos padronizados. El análisis de los datos fue utilizada una regresión logística univariado y múltiple, stepwise forward y nivel de significancia del 5%. La prevalencia de uso de psicotrópicos fue 12,2% y los factores asociados fueron sexo femenino (OR= 3,04 IC95%=1,76-5,23) y polifarmaci

Use of health services by residents at a seniors-only living facility

The objective of the study was to compare the use of medical and dental services by seniors residing at a seniors-only living facility and in the general community. It was a quantitative study, among 50 residents of the living facility and 173 in the general community. The data were collected between November 2011 and February 2012 through a questionnaire, and subjected to statistical analysis. Performance of clinical exams and satisfaction with health services was greater among seniors living in the general community; however, physical therapy treatment was more common among those living in the facility. The use of medical and dental services showed a statistically significant difference. The seniors in both groups need oral health monitoring and those living in the facility also require coverage by the Family Health Strategy. The presence of professionals with the right profile to adequately serve residents and the network of available services are determining factors for the success of this new housing policy

Development and validation of the Family Vulnerability Index to Disability and Dependence (FVI-DD)

This exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study aimed to develop and validate an index of family vulnerability to disability and dependence (FVI-DD). This study was adapted from the Family Development Index, with the addition of social and health indicators of disability and dependence. The instrument was applied to 248 families in the city of Sao Paulo, followed by exploratory factor analysis. Factor validation was performed using the concurrent and discriminant validity of the Lawton scale and Katz Index. The descriptive level adopted for the study was p < 0.05. The final vulnerability index comprised 50 questions classified into seven factors contemplating social and health dimensions, and this index exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.82). FVI-DD was validated using both the Lawton scale and Katz Index. We conclude that FVI-DD can accurately and reliably assess family vulnerability to disability and dependence

Self-reported diabetes in older people: comparison of prevalences and control measures

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of diabetes in older people and the adopted control measures. METHODS Data regarding older diabetic individuals who participated in the Health Surveys conducted in the Municipality of Sao Paulo, SP, ISA-Capital, in 2003 and 2008, which were cross-sectional studies, were analyzed. Prevalences and confidence intervals were compared between 2003 and 2008, according to sociodemographic variables. The combination of the databases was performed when the confidence intervals overlapped. The Chi-square (level of significance of 5%) and the Pearson’s Chi-square (Rao-Scott) tests were performed. The variables without overlap between the confidence intervals were not tested. RESULTS The age of the older adults was 60-69 years. The majority were women, Caucasian, with an income of between > 0.5 and 2.5 times the minimum salary and low levels of schooling. The prevalence of diabetes was 17.6% (95%CI 14.9;20.6) in 2003 and 20.1% (95%CI 17.3;23.1) in 2008, which indicates a growth over this period (p at the limit of significance). The most prevalent measure adopted by the older adults to control diabetes was hypoglycemic agents, followed by diet. Physical activity was not frequent, despite the significant differences observed between 2003 and 2008 results. The use of public health services to control diabetes was significantly higher in older individuals with lower income and lower levels of education. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes is a complex and challenging disease for patients and the health systems. Measures that encourage health promotion practices are necessary because they presented a smaller proportion than the use of hypoglycemic agents. Public health policies should be implemented, and aimed mainly at older individuals with low income and schooling levels. These changes are essential to improve the health condition of older diabetic patients