Prevalence of disability and associated functional limitations among older adults in Brazil

Disabilities are a serious public health, social and human rights issue. Few studies address the relationship between disabilities and functioning among older adults. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of disability and its' association with comorbidities and functional limitations in Brazilian elderly individuals.

Data from the National Health Survey-PNS 2019 was used. Prevalence rates with its corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for variables of interest. Chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression were conducted to investigate associations and estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) using Stata 17.0 software. The critical value (p<0.05) was considered.

The overall prevalence of disability was 58.3% (95% CI 57.2-59.4). Moderate/severe disabilities accounted for 24.1 (95% CI 23.1-25.1) and was high among elderly people females (27.9%, 95% CI 26.5-29.3), unemployed (28.4%, 95% CI 27.3-29.6), with an income of up to one minimum wage (30.6%, 95% CI 29.1-32.2), lower education (28.7%, 95% CI 27.5-29.9) and not married (28.5%, 95% CI 27.1-29.9). Crude odds ratios of having functional limitations were 4.5 times higher among individuals with three or more comorbidities, and 32.5 times higher among those with two or more disabilities, compared to those without these conditions.

Having a disability is an important predictor of functional limitations, especially among women, and people with lower income and education. To address this problem, public health policies such as encouraging physical activity among the elderly in Brazil should be implemented.