Association of physical performance and sarcopenia with use of health services in elderly people living in rural riverside areas in the Amazon: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Access is considered one of the necessary conditions for achieving effectiveness and quality in health services. However, it represents a complex construct, with several interpretations, and can be understood as the ease or degree of difficulty with which people obtain effective and timely care. Barriers to access can be related to individual characteristics and those of health systems and services. Regarding elderly people living in rural riverine localities, these limitations are exacerbated due to the territorial dispersion of households and the difficulty of obtaining the necessary care near their homes. The aim of this study was to describe and test the association of sarcopenia and physical performance with primary healthcare attributes and the use of health services by elderly people living in rural riverside areas in the Amazon, Brazil. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out in households with individuals aged 60 years or older living in nine communities located on the left bank of the Negro River, in the rural riverside area of the municipality of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. The study evaluated socioeconomic and demographic conditions, health services utilization and the primary care attributes related to the use of and access to services, assessed by components of the Primary Care Assessment Tool instrument (PCATool-Brazil), a reduced version validated for Brazilian adult users. Physical performance was assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery scale, and handgrip strength was also assessed, according to a dynamometer. The Sarcopenia Formulary (SARC-F) and calf circumference (CC) were used to assess sarcopenia (SARC-CalF). The association of sarcopenia and physical performance with the study outcomes was evaluated using hierarchical logistic regression for health services utilization (having had a medical consultation in the last year), and hierarchical linear regression for the continuous outcomes of the PCATool-Brazil (total score and each of the domains). The sociodemographic variables were inserted in model 1 and the clinical variables in model 2. Variables with p<0.20 were kept in the models. RESULTS: A total of 98 elderly people (55.1% men; mean age 70±7.4 years) were included in the study. Low physical performance and suggestive signs of sarcopenia were observed in 52.5% and 28.9% of the study participants, respectively. Elderly with better physical performance reported more health services utilization (odds ratio (OR)=1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03-1.81) and higher scores in the affiliation (β=1.67; 95%CI=0.37-2.98), utilization (β=1.19; 95%CI=0.06-2.33) and longitudinality (β=0.99; 95%CI=0.09-1.90) domains of the PCATool-Brazil. CONCLUSION: The study findings showed high prevalence of impairment in physical performance and suggestive signs of sarcopenia in elderly people living in the studied rural riverside localities. Better physical performance was associated with use of health services in the previous year and with better evaluation of some primary care attributes.

Sarcopenia e fatores associados em pessoas idosas residentes em localidades rurais ribeirinhas na Amazônia / Sarcopenia and associated factors in older people living in rural riverside areas of the Amazon

Resumo Objetivo Estimar a prevalência de sinais sugestivos de sarcopenia, bem como seus fatores associados, em pessoas idosas residentes em comunidades rurais ribeirinhas de Manaus. Método Estudo transversal de base domiciliar conduzido de abril a junho de 2021 com o universo de pessoas idosas (≥60 anos) que residiam em nove comunidades rurais ribeirinhas do rio Negro, Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil. Os sinais sugestivos de sarcopenia foram identificados por meio do Sarcopenia Formulary combinado à circunferência da panturrilha. Os aspectos sociodemográficos, o desempenho físico (equilíbrio estático em pé, velocidade de marcha em passo habitual e força muscular dos membros inferiores), a força de preensão palmar e as condições de saúde autorreferidas (hipertensão, diabetes, acidente vascular encefálico, dor lombar crônica e multimorbidade) representaram as variáveis explicativas. Utilizou-se regressão de Poisson com variância robusta para avaliação dos fatores associados aos sinais sugestivos de sarcopenia. Resultados Foram analisados os dados de 98 pessoas idosas (55,1% do sexo masculino), com idade média de 69,6±7,4 anos. Identificou-se que 50,5% apresentavam diminuição de força de preensão palmar, 52,6% incapacidade/baixo desempenho físico e 43,0% apresentaram multimorbidade. A ocorrência de sinais sugestivos de sarcopenia foi observada em 28,9% das pessoas idosas e associou-se à idade mais elevada (RP=1,1; IC95%=1,1-1,1) e ao maior número de moradores no domicílio (RP=1,2; IC95%=1,0-1,3). Conclusão Os achados do estudo evidenciaram elevada prevalência de sinais sugestivos de sarcopenia (28,9%) na população de pessoas idosas de localidades rurais ribeirinhas da Amazônia, sendo que maiores médias de idade e maior número de moradores no domicílio aumentaram a probabilidade de ocorrência dessa condição clínica.

Abstract Objective To estimate the prevalence of signs suggestive of sarcopenia and its associated factors in an older rural riverside population of the Amazon. Method A cross-sectional household-based study was carried out from April to June 2021 involving the universe of older people (age ≥60 years) living in nine rural communities on the banks of the Rio Negro, Manaus city, Amazonas state, Brazil. Signs suggestive of sarcopenia were identified using the Sarcopenia Formulary combined with calf circumference. Sociodemographic aspects, physical performance (static standing balance, gait speed at usual pace, and chair sit and stand), handgrip strength and self-reported health conditions (hypertension, diabetes, stroke, chronic low-back pain and multimorbidity) represented the explanatory variables. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to assess factors associated with signs suggestive of sarcopenia. Results Data from 98 older individuals (55.1% male) with a mean age of 69.6±7.4 years were analyzed. Results revealed that 50.5% had low handgrip strength, 52.6% disability/low physical performance and 43.0% multimorbidity. Sarcopenia was identified in 28.9% of participants and associated with higher age (PR=1.1; 95%CI=1.1-1.1) and greater number of residents in the household (PR=1.2; 95%CI=1.0-1.3). Conclusion The findings of the study showed a high prevalence of signs suggestive of sarcopenia (28.9%) among the population of older people in rural riverside areas of the Amazon, where higher mean age and greater number of residents in the household increased the probability of occurrence of this clinical condition.

Self-reported chronic back pain in the elderly living in rural riverine areas in the Amazon.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of self-reported chronic low back pain and to identify the associated factors in elderly people living in rural riverside areas in the Amazon. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional home-based survey performed in 38 riverside rural locations along the left bank of the Negro River, in the municipality of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, were analyzed. The selected elderly people answered a questionnaire comprising items related to the living conditions, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, health status and utilization of health services. The outcome was self-reported chronic back pain or problem. The association between the outcome and the independent variables was assessed using logistic regression, estimating the odds ratios and respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: One hundred and six residents aged 60 years or older out of a total of 277 were included in the study. The prevalence of chronic back pain among the elderly residents was 57.5% (63.3% among men and 50.0% among women). Most of them did not have any treatment related to their chronic condition (77.0%). Occupation in activities other than agricultural activities was protective for the outcome (odds ratio (OR)=0.1, 95%CI=0.0-0.9). The chronic low back pain was also associated with worse self-perceived health (OR=10.3, 95%CI=1.6-67.5). CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of chronic low back pain in elderly people living in rural riverside areas, along with limited access to treatment and the different impacts on the performance of daily activities and the quality of life, reveals the relevance of this condition as a public health problem.