Self-perceived health in elderly living in a city in Rio Grande do Sul state

Objectives: To assess the health perception of elderly living in a town in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study in which a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire was administered in a population of 274 elderly from August 2011 to September 2012. Results: There was a predominance of females, aged 60-69 years, low income and education. In relation to pathologies, 77.38% reported having chronic disease, hypertension being the most prevalent, affecting 56.20% of the elderly, followed by 28.10% with osteoarthritis. Only 13.14% reported being drinkers and 6.57% reported being smokers. As for the practice of physical activity, 67.52% reported physical activity on a regular basis. Of the total elderly respondents, 47.81% considered their health good. Conclusion: Although most elderly have mentioned good health, a large proportion being reported chronic diseases, which reinforces the idea that the perception of being sick is more related disability than being a carrier of chronic damage.