[Prevalence of housebound elderly people in the urban region of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil)].

The aim of this article is to estimate the prevalence and the socio-demographic and health profile of housebound elderly people registered at a Family Health Unit in the urban region of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil). A household survey was conducted between May and July 2006 with 275 elderly people selected via cluster sampling. The svy suite of commands in Stata 9.0 was used to deal adequately with the cluster sample structure and to allow the incorporation of fractions of expansion in the analyses. Among the 275 elderly, 22.4% (IC95%: 14.7; 32.4) were restricted to their homes. The prevalence of this condition was greater among women, people over 80 and suspected of suffering from cognitive impairment (p-valor < 0.05). The majority of housebound people had incomes below the minimum wage, reported history of falls, depression and indicated physical disorders as the cause of the restriction. The large contingent of low-income housebound elderly with several health problems, reinforces the need for incorporation of proposals for promotion and vigilance of the health of the elderly, which extend beyond the boundaries of the healthcare units.