Caracterização do estado antropométrico e capacidade funcional de idosos em Santa Cruz - RN

Abstract

The elderly population is constantly growing and with that arise concerns about the conditions of human aging. Nutrition has a strong influence on aging, and inadequate eating conditions, from the point of view of access, habit and eating behavior, may be responsible for triggering nutritional risk and functional deficiency. Thus, functional status and anthropometric nutritional status are also considered health indicators. Therefore, the objective is to characterize the anthropometric nutritional status and functional capacity of elderly people enrolled in a socialization group in the municipality of Santa Cruz, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This is a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study, carried out within a quantitative approach. A sample of 23 elderly people was obtained and data collection took place in July 2022. For this, a socioeconomic characterization was carried out and the anthropometric status was evaluated through the body mass index, and arm and calf circumferences, and the functionality by the Katz index. Most participants were women, married, retired, practicing physical exercise, in a nutritional status of eutrophy according to calf and 4 arm circumferences, and without functional dependence. In this scenario, an inadequate nutritional profile was associated with worse conditions of functional deficiency, emphasizing that the aging cycle itself interferes with the results, making the senescence process complex and emphasizing the importance of the role of public policies regarding health promotion for the elderly, in order to promote a better quality of life.