Abstract

RUIZ-DIOSES, Lourdes; CAMPOS-LEON, Marisela  and  PENA, Nelly. Social and family situation, functional assessment, and prevalent diseases in elderly subjects attending primary health care centers, Callao 2006. Rev. perú. med. exp. salud publica [online]. 2008, vol.25, n.4, pp.374-379. ISSN 1726-4634.

Objectives. To determine social and familiy situation performing a functional assesment and looking for prevalent diseases in elderly subjects attending primary care health centres in Callao, Peru. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study performed in 301 elderly subjects who were administered a questionnaire based on the form for the clinical assessment of aged persons established by the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Results. Most of the subjects were women, 44.5% were between 60 and 69 years old, and 31.9% were classified as frail elderly subjects. 79.4% of this elderly population is independent, 46.2% are at social risk, and 28.9% actually have social problems. Most subjects (66.1%) do not have any health insurance. Most prevalent diseases were hypertension (42.5%) and osteoarthritis (33.6%), and a past history of tuberculosis (TB) was found in 6.6%. Women had a worse social and family situation (p<0.05), and their functional and clinical assessments findings worsened with age (p<0.05). Conclusion. Most elderly subjects are at a social and family risk, so it is necessary to establish interventional strategies, such as social security programs aiming to contribute with the improvement of integrated health care in this population.

Keywords : Primary health care; Aged; Frail elderly; Family relations; Peru.

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