Social relationships and their association with the functional capacity of older Chilean adults: longitudinal evidence.

BACKGROUND: Functional capacity is recognized as a central factor for health in old age and not all studies that seek to clarify the role of social relationships in functional capacity are conclusive. The subject has only been studied in a limited way in Latin America, a region that is aging prematurely, with evidence primarily from developed countries, which have experienced a more gradual aging of their population. This longitudinal study aimed to determine how aspects of social relationships impact the functionality of older Chileans. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a cohort study of 2,265 people aged 60 years or older who lived in the community and resided in Greater Santiago, Chile. Five aspects of social relationships were considered at baseline (participation in groups, clubs, or organizations; number of people in the household; participation in recreational activities; perception of material support, help or advice, and marital status), from which a cluster analysis by conglomerate was performed and used as the exposure of interest. Functional limitation (FL) was the dependent variable, classified as a limitation in at least 1 basic activity of daily living or 1 instrumental activity or 2 advanced activities. The control variables considered were: sex, age, educational level, multimorbidity, depression and years of follow-up. Survival analyses using a Cox proportional hazard regression and multilevel logistic regressions (person level and follow-up wave level) were performed. RESULTS: The identified clusters were four: "without social participation and does not live alone"; "without a partner and without social participation"; "no perception of support and no social participation"; "with participation, partner and perception of support". Social relationship clusters predicted FL incidence and FL reporting during follow-up. Being in the clusters "without social participation and does not live alone" and "without partner and without social participation" were risk factors for incident FL and report of FL during follow-up, compared to being in the reference cluster "with participation, partner and perception of support. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our study showed that participating in social organizations, not living alone and having a partner are protective factors for presenting and developing functional limitation in old age for community-living Chileans in an urban area.

Influence of Sociodemographic, Health-Related, and Behavioral Factors on Food Guidelines Compliance in Older Adults: A Hierarchical Approach from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016-17 Data.

Dietary habits are determinants in the development of a range of conditions and age-related diseases. We explored the associations of sociodemographic, health-related indicators, and health behavioral factors on dietary guideline compliance in elderly Chileans. We used a cross-sectional design using the publicly available database from the last Chilean National Health Survey (2016−17). The sample of 1831 older adults (≥60 y) from a national representative sample. The dependent variable was compliance with Food Guidelines (FG) (daily consumption of water, dairy, and fruits and vegetables; and weekly consumption of legumes and fish). The independent variables included sociodemographic, health-related, and behavioral factors. Over half (51.8%) of the sample was female and 85.7% belonged to the 60−79 age group. Satisfactory compliance to FG was observed in 3.9% of the sample. In the adjusted analysis, for those between 60 and 79 y, marital status was the only significant variable associated with FG noncompliance (PR: 1.34; 95%CI: 1.04−1.71). For those over 80 y, income of >2 minimum wages (PR: 0.10; 95%CI: 0.02−0.61), living alone (PR: 1.72; 95%CI: 1.20−2.47), and self-reported cardiovascular disease (PR: 0.63; 95%CI: 0.43−0.93) were associated with FG noncompliance. We observed low FG compliance among elderly Chilean adults, especially in the oldest group. Factors associated with the FG compliance was different between age groups.

[Determinants of satisfaction with food-related life in older Chileans adults]. / Determinantes de la satisfacción con la alimentación en adultos mayores chilenos.

INTRODUCTION: The present study seeks to determine which demographic and behavioral factors affect satisfaction with food-related life in older Chilean adults. A questionnaire was applied to 785 older adults belonging to the adult centers of 30 communes in the Maule region, Chile. The questionnaires Satisfaction with Food-related Life, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale and independence in Activities of the Daily Life were applied. Sociodemographic characterization questions were included, in addition to questions about the consumption of eleven groups of foods and drinks at home, besides the expenses in restaurants. A descriptive analysis and logistic regression were performed, using statistical adjustment measures and collinearity diagnosis of the variables. In conclusion, the main factors positively related to a high satisfaction related to food are the female gender, being married or in a couple, greater perception of satisfaction with life and consumption of fish and wine. Good levels of commensality were determined in the three meals studied; consequently, reuniting the family and sharing daily can contribute positively to well-being. However, satisfaction with food was higher in rural areas than in urban areas and the group with the highest age (> 80 years) reported lower satisfaction with food when it was analyzed in a bivariable manner.

INTRODUCCIÓN: El presente trabajo busca determinar qué factores demográficos y conductuales inciden sobre la satisfacción con la vida relacionada con la alimentación de los adultos mayores (AM) de la región del Maule, Chile. Se aplicó un cuestionario a 785 AM pertenecientes a los Centros del Adulto Mayor de 30 comunas de la región del Maule, Chile. Se aplicaron los cuestionarios Satisfaction with Food-related Life, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale y cuestionario de independencia en Actividades de la Vida Diaria. Se incluyeron preguntas de caracterización sociodemográficas sobre el consumo de once grupos de alimentos y bebidas en el hogar, además de los gastos en restaurantes. Se realizó análisis descriptivo y regresión logística, utilizando medidas de ajuste estadístico y diagnóstico de colinealidad de las variables. En conclusión, los principales factores relacionados positivamente con una alta satisfacción relacionada con los alimentos son el sexo femenino, estar casado o en pareja, mayor percepción de satisfacción con la vida y el consumo de pescado y vino. Se determinaron buenos niveles de comensalidad en las tres comidas estudiadas. En consecuencia, reunir a la familia y compartir a diario puede contribuir positivamente al bienestar. Sin embargo, la satisfacción con la alimentación fue mayor en las áreas rurales que en las urbanas y el grupo con mayor edad (> 80 años) reportó menor satisfacción con la alimentación cuando fue analizado de forma bivariable.

Percepção de atores da política de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional sobre participação social / Perception of social participation by actors of the Food and Nutrition Security Policy / Percepción de actores de la Política de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional sobre participación social

Objetivo: Analisar a participação social a partir da percepção dos atores sociais que discutem e indicam caminhos para a Política de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (SAN). Métodos: Pesquisa realizada pelo método estudo de caso, realizado no período de janeiro a novembro de 2015, em nove municípios maranhenses, mediante aplicação de entrevistas semiestruturadas com 38 conselheiros e membros das câmaras intersetoriais de segurança alimentar e nutricional, sendo 22 da sociedade civil e 16 do poder público. A categoria analítica "participação social" norteou a análise dos dados. Resultados: A participação social foi percebida como "mecanismo de diálogo e conflito", "exercício de controle social", "instrumento para alcance do direito e realização dos anseios da sociedade" e "estratégia para garantir o retorno das proposições da política à comunidade". Conclusão: As percepções dos atores se direcionam para a participação social como um meio de garantir a construção da política de SAN e o alcance do direito à alimentação pela população, porém também sinalizam limitações para o seu efetivo exercício, fato que terá impacto em outras políticas, como a da saúde.

Objective: To analyze the social participation from the perception held by the social actors who discuss and suggest paths towards Brazil's Food and Nutrition Security Policy. Methods: Research carried out using the case study methodology, in the period from January to November 2015, in nine municipalities of the state of Maranhão, by means of interviews applied to 38 counselors and members of the intersectoral chambers for food and nutrition security, of which 22 represented the civil society and 16 the public sector. The analytical category "social participation" guided the data analysis. Results: Social participation was understood as "a mechanism of dialogue and conflict", "exercise of social control", "tool for achievement of the right and realization of society's desires" and "strategy to ensure the return of political propositions to the community". Conclusion: The actors perceive social participation as a means of ensuring the construction of the Food and Nutrition Security Policy and the achievement of the right to food by the population, although they also point out limitations on its effective exercise, a fact that will have an impact on other policies, such as the health policy.

Objetivo: Analizar la participación social a partir de la percepción de los actores sociales los cuales discuten e indican caminos para la Política de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional (SAN). Métodos: Investigación realizada a través del método de estudio de caso en el período entre enero y noviembre de 2015 en nueve municipios de Maranhão con la aplicación de entrevistas semiestructuradas a 38 consejeros y miembros de las cámaras intersectoriales de seguridad alimentaria y nutricional siendo 22 de la sociedad civil y 16 del poder público. La categoría analítica "participación social" ha orientado el análisis de los datos. Resultados: La participación social ha sido vista como el "mecanismo de dialogo y conflicto", el "ejercicio del control social", el "instrumento para el alcance del derecho y realización de los anhelos de la sociedad" y la "estrategia para garantizar el regreso de las proposiciones de la política para la comunidad". Conclusión: Las percepciones de los actores se dirigen para la participación social como medio de garantizar la construcción de la política de SAN y el alcance del derecho de la población a alimentación. Sin embargo también señalan las limitaciones para su ejercicio efectivo que es un hecho que traerá impacto en otras políticas como la de la salud.