Comparison of profile of beneficiary and non-beneficiary elderly of the Bolsa Família Program

OBJECTIVES: To describe the elderly's profile in the Unified Register of Social Service (CADUNICO), of the Municipal Social Service in the city of Betim, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, and assess the differences in living conditions between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the Bolsa Familia Program (BFP). METHODS: Cross-sectional study based on secondary data obtained in the CADUNICO from January 2004 to January 2011. The elderly were divided into two groups: beneficiaries (those who received the benefit), and non-beneficiaries (those who, although registered, did not receive it). Sociodemographic and health variables analyzed to compare the groups were: gender, age, income, race / color, educational level, marital status, situation in the labor market, housing and disability. RESULTS: Of the 8,555 registered elderly, 14.1% were active in the BFP. The average age was 68 years (median 67 years), with higher proportion of women (58.0%). The median distribution of "income" among beneficiaries was R$60.00 (Q1 = R$40.00 and Q3 = R$100.00) and R$100.00 for non-beneficiaries (Q1 = R$60.00 and Q3 = R$170.00). As education increases, the less chance of the elderly to be active in the BFP. As for the single and divorced elderly, the chance to be active in the BFP was greater [OR 1.79 (CI 1.54-2.09); OR 1.46 (CI 1.20-1.78), respectively]. On the presence or absence of failures, there was no significant difference between the two groups. In general, older people living in their own houses, built with brick / masonry, with public water and sewage, with its own lighting and garbage collected. CONCLUSION: The BFP is a necessary warranty of minimum income for socially vulnerable elderly. On the other hand, the comparison of profiles of beneficiary and non-beneficiary seniors highlights the program's limitations, namely, to be directed only to the neediest, being unable to extend, as a right, to all whose situation so requires.