Prevalence and factors associated with probable sarcopenia in southern Brazil: a population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: There are few studies on probable sarcopenia in rural areas. This study aims to assess prevalence of probable sarcopenia and its associated factors in older adults living in the rural area of a municipality in southern Brazil. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed data from the second wave of the EpiRural Cohort Study. Structured questionnaires, handgrip strength, gait speed, and anthropometric measurements were collected from 651 older adults. The criteria from the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 were used in this study. Chi-square test and logistic regression with robust variance were performed. RESULTS: Prevalence of probable sarcopenia was 19.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 16.3-25.2%). Male sex (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.61; 95%CI 1.17-2.21), age ≥80 years (PR 4.15; 95%CI 2.65-6.50), underweight (PR 1.90; 95%CI 1.23-2.93), diabetes mellitus (PR 1.80; 95%CI 1.20-2.73), and hospitalization in the past year (PR 2.00; 95%CI 1.36-2.91) were significantly associated with probable sarcopenia. CONCLUSION: One in five rural older adults have probable sarcopenia. Older adults living in rural areas need frequent measurements of muscle strength, and greater investments should be made to minimize the physical disability caused by sarcopenia among this population.

Vulnerability among rural older adults in southern Brazil: population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of vulnerability, and to identify the associated factors of vulnerability among rural community-dwelling older adults living in the municipality of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study of a sample of individuals aged 60 years or older. Data from the first follow-up of the EpiRural Cohort Study (2018-2019) were used. Vulnerability was assessed using the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13). The maximum score is 10 and older adults with scores of 3 or more are classified as vulnerable. Poisson regression with robust adjustment of variance was used for crude and adjusted analyses. For the analysis of the associated factors, a theoretical model was constructed with three hierarchical levels. The variables were adjusted in relation to each other within each level; those with a significance level of 0.20 or less were included in the regression model and adjusted to a higher level, with a subsequent level of significance of 5%. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of vulnerability was 40.8% (95%CI 37.5-44.3). Vulnerability was more prevalent among women (PR=1.45; 95%CI 1.23-1.71), older adults who did not work (PR=1.70; 95%CI 1.17-2.45), those who lived without a partner (PR=1.26; 95%CI 1.07-1.47), those with diabetes (PR=1.23; 95%CI 1.03-1.48), those with depression (PR=1.21; 95%CI 1.02-1.42), those with osteoporosis (PR=1.38; 95%CI 1.15-1.66), and those with sarcopenia (PR=1.67; 95%CI 1.38-2.02). CONCLUSION: Vulnerability is common among rural community-dwelling older adults and is associated with sociodemographic and health characteristics.

The Role of Physical Vulnerability in the Association Between Social Activities and Cognitive Performance in Rural Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study.

The aim of this study was to examine the association of social activities with cognitive performance in older adults in the southern area of Brazil, considering the important moderating role of physical vulnerability. A prospective population-based study was conducted in the rural area of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Self-reported social activities were collected at baseline. Cognitive performance and physical vulnerability were measured in the second wave of data collection. The association of social activities with cognitive performance was determined using robust generalized linear models. In adjusted analysis, the social activities were positively associated with cognitive performance in physically vulnerable older adults. However, this association was not found in those who were nonvulnerable. Our findings may contribute to future investigations of possible explanatory avenues for the association between social activities and cognitive performance as well as the development of interventions aimed at improving cognitive skills.

Aging in a rural area in southern Brazil: designing a prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: This article presents the methods used to design a prospective cohort study with older adults from a rural area in the far south of Brazil (EpiRural Cohort Study), as well as to describe the cohort profile. METHODS: The cohort study began in 2017 and evaluated older adults (≥60 years) living in rural area. The first follow-up of the cohort was carried out between September 2018 and March 2019. Data collection at baseline and first follow-up was performed through an electronic questionnaire containing demographic, socioeconomic and health-related questions, such as alcohol and cigarette consumption, morbidities and self-perceived health status. RESULTS: At baseline, 1130 older adults were sampled, 1029 of whom were interviewed (91.1%). The age of almost 17% was 80 years or more, and 55.2% were male. At first follow-up, 862 individuals were followed (83.8%) and the characteristics of the older adults interviewed compared to those not interviewed at follow-up were similar. Between baseline and follow-up, the proportion of individuals aged 70-79 years increased, as well as the proportion of those who had consumed alcoholic beverages in the previous week and who had hypertension. The male-to-female ratio, those who were living alone, working, smokers, diabetics, who had stroke and who reported their health as being very good/good were comparable between the baseline and follow-up. CONCLUSION: With a reasonable follow-up rate, it was possible to transform a cross-sectional study into a prospective cohort study. However, new strategies will be needed to help locate participants more successfully and ensure a good response rate in future follow-ups.