Relação entre o autorrelato de saúde e o desempenho físico em mulheres de meia-idade e idosas residentes na comunidade no nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Introduction: Self-rated Health (SRH) is one of the most used outcome measures in social epidemiology, public health research and clinical practice, and has been associated with morbidity and mortality in different populations. Physical performance measures are largely determined by physiological functions that typically decrease with age. Some evidence shows that SRH is associated with objective measures of physical performance; however, studies investigating association in low- and middle-income settings are rare, especially for middleaged populations. Objective: To verify the relationship between SRH and physical performance measures, through tests that assess balance and upper and lower limb strength in middle-aged and elderly women in a low-income setting of Brazil. Methods: This is a crosssectional study of 571 middle-aged women (40-59 years old) and elderly women (60-80 years old) living in the municipalities of Parnamirim and Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte. Participants who reported their health status as "excellent," "very good," or "good" were allocated to the "SRH good" group, and those who reported their health as "fair" or "poor" composed the group "SRH poor". The physical performance evaluation consisted of 4 tests: handgrip strength, one-legged balance with eyes open and closed, and chair stand test. The relationship between SRH and physical performance for middle-aged and older women was assessed by multiple linear regression adjusted for covariates (age, education, family income, BMI, physical activity, comorbidities, menopausal status, and reproductive history). Results: Middle-aged women who reported good SRH had better physical performance, such as stronger handgrip strength (β = 1,927, p <0.001), greater balance time with eyes closed (β = 1.339, p = 0.041) and were faster in the chair stand test (β = -0.770, p = 0.003) when compared to those who reported their health as "poor." For the group of elderly women there is no association between physical performance measures and SRH. Conclusion: This study showed that SRH is significantly associated with objective measures of physical performance in a sample of lowincome middle-aged women and is therefore a useful tool for assessing the physical health of this population, besides assisting in decision making for the health professional inserted in this context of low income.