Universidade de São Paulo, Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem Fundamental, Ribeirão PretoSP, Brazil.
Rev Saude Publica. 2013 Apr;47(2):266-73. doi: 10.1590/S0034-8910.2013047003468.
To measure the prevalence in frail elderly people, their consequences and associated demographic factors.
This was an epidemiological and cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample composed of 240 elderly people (≥ 60 years) living in Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo state. Data were collected between November 2010 and February 2011, through a questionnaire that included socio-demographic data, fall assessment and the Edmonton Frailty Scale. Uni-variate and bivariate analyses were carried out.
The mean age was 73.5 (± 8.4), with higher ages among women; 25% of the interviewees were aged 80 or older; 11.3% presented moderate frailty and 9.6% severe frailty. The prevalence of falls in frail elderly participants corresponded to 38.6%; higher levels were found among women and younger subjects (60 to 79 years old); 26.8% were victims of 1 to 2 falls, 27.1% of which occurred in the bedroom, 84.7% fell from their own height, 55.9% lost their balance, 54.2% suffered scratches and 78% were afraid of suffering a new fall. Higher fall prevalence levels were found in frail elderly 1,973 (1,094-3,556) compared to non-frail.
We highlight the importance of addressing the health of frail elderly people, especially regarding the risk of falls, as well as of increasing investment in prevention strategies of these syndromes and in the formation of train like a virgin ed human resources to better care for this population.
测量虚弱老年人的患病率、后果及其相关人口统计学因素。
这是一项采用概率抽样方法的流行病学和横断面研究，样本由 240 名（≥ 60 岁）居住在皮拉伊巴州里贝朗普雷图的老年人组成。数据于 2010 年 11 月至 2011 年 2 月期间通过问卷收集，内容包括社会人口统计学数据、跌倒评估和埃德蒙顿虚弱量表。进行了单变量和双变量分析。
平均年龄为 73.5（± 8.4）岁，女性年龄较大；25%的受访者年龄在 80 岁或以上；11.3%表现为中度虚弱，9.6%表现为严重虚弱。虚弱老年人参与者的跌倒患病率为 38.6%；女性和年龄较小的（60 至 79 岁）患者的患病率较高；26.8%的人跌倒 1-2 次，其中 27.1%发生在卧室，84.7%从自己的高度跌倒，55.9%失去平衡，54.2%有擦伤，78%害怕再次跌倒。虚弱老年人的跌倒患病率（1,973 [1,094-3,556]）高于非虚弱老年人。
我们强调了关注虚弱老年人健康的重要性，特别是要关注跌倒风险，以及增加对这些综合征的预防策略的投资，并对人力资源进行培训，以便更好地照顾这一人群。
