Gender and incidence of functional disability in the elderly: a systematic review

This systematic review aimed to assess the effect of gender on the incidence of functional disability in the elderly. The search for publications in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ProQuest electronic databases from January 1990 to March 2008 identified 879 publications, from which 21 cohort studies were selected that evaluated gender as an independent variable and incidence of functional disability in elderly as the outcome. Review of the studies found that after adjusting for socioeconomic, health, and social relations indicators, incidence of functional disability was similar between genders. The main risk factors for functional disability in the elderly, regardless of gender, were: lack of schooling, living in rental housing, chronic diseases, arthritis, diabetes, visual impairment, body mass index above 25, poor self-perceived health, cognitive impairment, depression, slow gait, sedentary lifestyle, tiredness while performing daily activities, and limited diversity in social relations.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rodrigues,Maria Aparecida Pinheiro, Facchini,Luiz Augusto, Thumé,Elaine, Maia,Fátima
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz 2009
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2009001500011
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