RESUMO
BACKGROUND: In the next future an important demographical ageing will imply a rise in the levels of co morbidity, disability and dependence of the population. The objective if this work was to estimate the dependences profile by means of assessing the levels of severity of the disability in the Spanish general population. METHODS: Data come from the disease, disability and health status survey of 1999 of the Spanish Institute for Statistics, which includes 36 limitations with an score of severity (from 0= absence to 4= unable). These limitations were grouped in five kinds of disability, the mean score of severity was computed for each one, and grouped in five levels of dependence. To check the relationship between limitations and severity an analysis of correspondence was performed. To identify the pattern of dependence a multiple correspondence and a clusters analysis were computed using the variables of age, sex, kind of disability and level of dependence. RESULTS: There is a relationship between severity and some limitations (being the limitation on daily activities associated to the highest severity). Five groups of dependent people were identified. Those with lower dependence were middle aged, men and having sensorial disabilities and those with higher dependence were mainly women, older than 80 and with disabilities on mobility and on the activities of daily living. CONCLUSIONS: There are five groups of dependent population and this study allows estimating its frequency among the general population what will be very useful to evaluate the amount of resources necessary to take care of them.
