Marisete Peralta Safons

Introduction: Functional decline represents the main determinant of negative outcomes in the health of older adults, such as the development of other disabilities, which may result in frailty, institutionalization, hospitalization and death. Aim: To determine the prevalence of risk of frailty among community older adults during the covid-19 pandemic and identify its association with health risk behaviors. Methods: An epidemiological screening type research, with cross-sectional design and sample representative of the Federal District, Brazil, was carried out. Data were collected through electronic questionnaire. In order to answer the problem question, the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index – IVCF-20 instrument was used (with risk ≥7 points), complemented by questions about demographic factors, socioeconomic factors and health risk behaviors. For data analysis, descriptive (frequency distribution and confidence interval) and association (crude and adjusted binary logistic regression) procedures were used. Results: Data from 1,363 older adults were analyzed (66.0%=female; 34.0%=male), the majority aged 60-74 years (82.2%), with higher education level (50.1%), who did not live alone (76.6%). There was high prevalence of older adults exposed to risk of frailty (30.7%; CI 95%=26.3-35.1), insufficiently active (45.6%; CI 95%=41.7-49.5) and who did not practice physical exercises before (30.2%; CI 95%=25.8-34.6) and during the physical distancing resulting from the covid-19 pandemic (53.4%; CI95%=49.8-57.0). Risk of frailty was associated with insufficient level of physical activity (OR=3.37; 95% CI 2.59-4.39) and with not practicing physical exercise before (OR=1.54; 95% CI 1. 17-2.03) and during physical distancing resulting from the covid-19 pandemic (OR=2.07; 95% CI 1.58-2.69). Conclusions: Considering the relevance and potential of physical exercise for older adults in contributing to functional improvement and health conditions, strategies to maintain active habits, even in periods of physical distancing as imposed by the covid-19 pandemic, are needed.

A pandemia por covid-19 se configura como o maior desafio para a saúde pública do século XXI e as pessoas idosas são as mais vulneráveis e propensas a piores desfechos. Evidências atuais sugerem que os elementos do clima e a sazonalidade podem influenciar a presença do SARS-CoV-2 em determinadas estações do ano. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi descrever o perfil epidemiológico dos casos e óbitos por covid-19 entre as pessoas idosas no Distrito Federal, Brasil, segundo a variação sazonal das estações do ano. Para isso, foi realizado um estudo do tipo ecológico descritivo no Distrito Federal e suas regiões de saúde, a partir de dados secundários do Ministério da Saúde Brasil dos casos e óbitos confirmados pela doença, por idade (≥60 anos), local de residência (regiões de saúde) e data de registro (primavera de 2021 ao inverno de 2022). Foram calculadas as taxas de incidência e de mortalidade, utilizando a constante 10.000. Verificou-se que durante o período analisado, foram registrados 44.103 casos confirmados de covid-19 e 944 óbitos entre a população estudada, com maior prevalência (n=18.437) e taxa de incidência (575,0/10.000) durante o verão e maior número de óbitos (n=421) e mortalidade por covid-19 (13,0/10.000) durante a primavera. Conclui-se que o número de casos e óbitos por covid-19 podem sofrer alterações em número, segundo a variação sazonal das estações do ano. Essas informações poderão servir para aprimorar o sistema organizacional com estratégias de combate à covid-19 no local do estudo e em outras áreas tropicais.

Performance in the supine-to-stand (STS) task is an important functional and health marker throughout life, but the evaluation methods and some correlates can impact it. This article aims to examine the studies that assessed the performance of the STS task of young people, adults and the elderly. Evidence of the association between the STS task and body weight status, musculoskeletal fitness and physical activity was investigated, and a general protocol was proposed. MEDLINE/Pubmed and Web of Science databases were accessed for searching studies measuring the STS task directly; identification, objective, design, sample, protocols and results data were extracted; the risk of bias was assessed (PROSPERO CRD42017055693). From 13,155 studies, 37 were included, and all demonstrated a low to moderate risk of bias. The STS task was applied in all world, but the protocols varied across studies, and they lacked detail; robust evidence demonstrating the association between STS task and musculoskeletal fitness was found; there was limited research examining body weight status, physical activity and the STS task performance. In conclusion, the STS task seems to be a universal tool to track motor functional competence and musculoskeletal fitness throughout life for clinical or research purposes.

O objetivo deste estudo foi examinar a correlação entre a percepção de competência com o desempenho na tarefa de levantar-se do solo de idosos saudáveis. 56 voluntários participaram deste estudo transversal. O rastreio cognitivo foi verificado por meio do mini exame do estado mental e a percepção de competência foi avaliada através de uma escala em categorias. O desempenho na tarefa de levantar-se do solo foi medido por meio do número de tentativas realizadas e através do tempo para executar a tarefa. Notou-se correlação entre a percepção de competência com o número de tentativas na tarefa e com o tempo para levantar-se do solo para esta amostra de idosos saudáveis.