Patterns of risk behaviors in Brazilian older adults: A latent class analysis

The aim of the present study was to describe the clustering of diet, physical activity, television viewing, and tobacco and alcohol use among Brazilian older adults (aged ≥60 years).

We carried out a secondary analysis of the Brazilian National Health Survey of 2013. Brazilian older adults (n = 11 177) reported their consumption of fruit and vegetables, leisure physical activity, television viewing, tobacco smoking, and alcohol intake. Latent class analysis was used to identify behavior patterns.

Three classes of behaviors were identified. The "Healthy" class (34.8%) had the highest probability of meeting recommendations for physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption; the "Poor diet and PA" class (46.5%) presented low probabilities of meeting recommendations for physical activity and alcohol consumption; and the "Smoking and binge drinking" class (18.7%) had the highest probability of smoking and binge drinking.

Three behavioral patterns were identified in the Brazilian older population. Even in the "Healthy" class, less than half of the older adults were considered physically active, suggesting that there is no completely healthy profile. Nevertheless, physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption behaviors clustered, as did smoking and binge drinking. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 245-248.