Age-friendly city: future perspectives for the Brazilian cities / Cidade amiga do idoso: perspectivas futuras para as cidades brasileiras

ABSTRACT The world population is aging fast and not all cities are prepared to cope with the needs of the elderly people. Cities need to develop strategies for senior citizens including the aspects of health, nutrition, consumer protection, housing, transportation, environment, social welfare, income, employment, safety, and education. The World Health Organization (WHO) created a program dedicated to older adults called the age-friendly city. This program is about creating the environment and opportunities that enable older people to be and do what they value throughout their lives. Most of the elderly population lives in urban spaces, and aging represents a challenge as well as opportunities to the cities all over the world. Recently, only 16 Brazilian cities have received the seal of international certification by meeting the requirements stipulated by the WHO. In the State of Sao Paulo, only two cities have been qualified for this seal. Therefore, the aims of this article are (a) to provide a brief history of this important initiative taken by the WHO and (b) to urge the decision-makers of Brazilian municipalities to develop effective initiatives for their cities to be prepared for this demographic modification.

RESUMO A população mundial está envelhecendo rapidamente, e nem todas as cidades estão preparadas para lidar com as necessidades dessa população. As cidades devem desenvolver estratégias para os idosos, incluindo aspectos de saúde, nutrição, defesa do consumidor, habitação, transporte, meio ambiente, assistência social, renda, emprego, segurança e educação. A Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) possui um programa denominado "cidade amiga dos idosos", cujos objetivos são preparar as cidades para o envelhecimento da população e minimizar os custos desse processo proporcionando a inserção ativa dos idosos na vida socioeconômica das cidades. A certificação (selo) de cidade amiga dos idosos pela OMS. A maioria da população idosa vive nos espaços urbanos, o que isso representa um desafio e um ambiente de oportunidades para as cidades. Um desafio, pois ao envelhecer ocorre uma maior demanda pelos cuidados em saúde e instituições de longa permanência. Por outro lado, a população idosa apresenta um potencial de ambiente de negócios específicos para essa faixa etária, como os setores de alimentação, educação, e setores de entretenimento. No Brasil, a população idosa responde por cerca de 20% do consumo nacional. Apenas 16 cidades brasileiras receberam esse selo de certificação internacional para atender aos requisitos estipulados pela OMS. No estado de São Paulo, apenas duas cidades foram qualificadas para a obtenção do selo. Portanto, os objetivos do presente artigo são a) fornecer um breve histórico desse importante programa da OMS; b) despertar nos gestores das cidades a vontade de desenvolver iniciativas efetivas para que as cidades estejam preparadas para um rápido envelhecimento populacional, que tenha potencial para contribuir com a sociedade em suas diferentes capacidades.

Prevalence of physical inactivity and its effects on blood pressure and metabolic parameters in a Brazilian Urban Population / Prevalência de inatividade física e seus efeitos na pressão arterial e parâmetros metabólicos em uma população urbana brasileira

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the world and physical inactivity represents an important risk factor. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of physical inactivity in the adult population and its effects on blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid profile. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study with stratified simple random sampling was conducted in 1,717 adults divided by age groups: 18-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and ≥ 70 years. The participants answered the physical activity questionnaire and were classified as physically active or inactive. The bootstrap statistical method was used to assess physical activity, associated with lipid profile and blood glucose levels. The level of significance was 5%. Results:The prevalence of physical inactivity in the general population was 65.8%. There was a significant difference in the group older than 70 years. There was a significant decrease in physical activity in the group with lower educational level, with a significant difference between social classes AB and C. The prevalence of hypertension was 27.5% among physically inactive and 21.4% among active individuals (p = 0.04). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 26.1% in inactive and 16.7% in the active individuals (p = 0.007). Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides levels were more elevated in the physically inactive group, which was not observed with high-density lipoprotein levels. Blood glucose was also higher in the inactive group. Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of physical inactivity and a positive correlation between risk factors for cardiovascular disease, mainly blood pressure, glucose and lipids profiles