Elderly persons who live alone in Brazil and their lifestyle

Abstract Objective: to assess the prevalence of elderly persons living alone in Brazil, based on covariates of health status, behavior and socio-demographic characteristics. Method: data from 11,967 individuals (aged 60 or over) were obtained from the National Health Survey (Brazil, 2013). Living alone was defined as residing in a one-person household. The prevalence of individuals living alone was stratified by socio-demographic conditions and geographic region. Living alone was also assessed as a factor for outcomes of physical functioning, behavior and health conditions. Poisson regression models were used to evaluate the prevalence ratios and a 95% confidence interval was applied. Results: in Brazil, 15.3% of people aged 60 years and over live alone. This condition is more prevalent in higher income regions; however, more lower-income individuals were affected. Prevalence was higher among women and individuals aged 75 years or more. Living alone was associated with difficulties in instrumental activities of daily living (prevalence ratio 1.15; 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.28); the reporting of an illness in the two prior to the study (PR=1.35; 95%CI=1.16-1.57); watching television (five or more hours daily) (PR=1.40; 95%CI=1.26-1.56) and falls in the previous year (PR=1.35; 95%CI=1.10-1.66). Elderly persons living alone also had worse eating habits, with a less frequent intake of meat, beans and salads than their counterparts who lived with others. Conclusion: elderly persons living alone in Brazil have a worse health status and health-related habits. These findings represent a challenge and should motivate social and health policies aimed at fulfilling the greater needs of adults who grow old alone.**摘要** 研究目的：本研究旨在基于健康状况、行为特征与社会人口学特征的协变量，评估巴西独居老年人群的患病率。 研究方法：本研究从2013年巴西全国健康调查（National Health Survey, Brazil 2013）中纳入11967名60岁及以上个体的研究数据。本研究将独居定义为居住于单人家庭。独居患病率按社会人口学特征及地理区域进行分层分析，并将独居作为身体功能、行为与健康状况结局的影响因素开展评估。采用泊松回归模型（Poisson regression models）计算患病率比（prevalence ratio, PR），并以95%置信区间（confidence interval, CI）进行统计推断。 研究结果：巴西60岁及以上老年人群中，15.3%处于独居状态。该现象在高收入地区更为普遍，但低收入个体受影响的规模更大。女性及75岁及以上老年群体的独居患病率更高。独居与工具性日常生活活动（Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, IADL）困难（PR=1.15；95%CI=1.04~1.28）、研究前两年内报告患病（PR=1.35；95%CI=1.16~1.57）、每日看电视时长≥5小时（PR=1.40；95%CI=1.26~1.56）以及前一年发生跌倒事件（PR=1.35；95%CI=1.10~1.66）存在显著关联。此外，独居老年人群的饮食习惯更差，其肉类、豆类及沙拉的摄入频率显著低于与他人同住的老年群体。 研究结论：巴西独居老年人群的健康状况与健康相关行为习惯均更劣于同龄人。本研究结果提示该群体面临显著的公共卫生挑战，应推动针对性的社会与健康政策，以满足独居老年群体的多元需求。