Prevalência de quedas e avaliação de risco em idosos participantes de um programa de extensão universitário

Abstract

Falls in the elderly constitute an event of high epidemiological relevance, associated with a greater risk of morbidity and mortality, disabilities, and institutionalization. It is a multifactorial phenomenon, whose analysis of determinants is essential to support evidence-based preventive interventions. The study aims to evaluate the frequency of falls, identify the sociodemographic and clinical profile of the elderly, and verify the conditions that influenced the occurrence of these events. This is a retrospective, descriptive, and documental research, with a quantitative approach, carried out based on the analysis of 86 registration and screening forms of elderly individuals who participated in a university extension program in 2022. Data with information about the demographic profile, lifestyle, and health conditions of the participants are evaluated, including personal data such as sex, age, marital status, education, income, housing, religion, and occupation, lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcoholism, and sedentary behavior, and the presence of comorbidities. Physical and functional factors are also considered, such as calf circumference, history of falls, performance on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the degree of concern about falls using the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). Data were processed through double entry in Excel and subsequently analyzed in the SPSS software, version 23.0, using appropriate statistical tests for qualitative and quantitative variables. The results showed that 84.9% of the participants were women, with an average age of 69.16 years, and that 10.5% reported having suffered a fall in the last year. A high prevalence of Systemic Arterial Hypertension (50.0%) and musculoskeletal diseases (41.9%) was observed, in addition to overweight and obesity in more than half of the sample. The occurrence of falls was higher among women, although without statistical significance, and showed a relationship with frailty indicators, such as low body mass index and calf circumference measurement. The study also demonstrated that the use of antihypertensives and hypoglycemic agents was present among the elderly who suffered falls, reinforcing the need to monitor medication use in this population. It is concluded that, despite the absence of statistically significant associations in some variables, the findings confirm the multifactorial nature of falls and emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach, periodic review of medication use, adaptation of the home environment, and promotion of healthy habits to reduce the risk of falls.