Factors associated with worsening of self-rated health in older people: a longitudinal study

Objective: to identify factors associated with worsening self-perception of health in community-dwelling older people over time. Method: This is a prospective and analytical longitudinal study. At baseline, data collection took place at home, based on random sampling by clusters. The second data collection was performed after an average period of 42 months. Sociodemographic variables related to health and use of health services were analyzed. Self-perception of health was investigated by the question: “How would you classify your health status?”. The results of the health classification of each older person were compared between the two moments of the study (first wave and baseline) defining the dependent variable. Adjusted prevalence ratios were obtained by multiple Poisson regression analysis with robust variance. Results: 394 older people participated in the two stages of the study, 21.1% worsened their self-perception of health, 26.7% improved and 52.2% showed no change. The variables that remained statistically associated with the transition to a worse self-rated health assessment were: asthma, systemic arterial hypertension and frailty. Conclusion: self-perception of health is characterized by a transition between levels of self-rated health. Chronic diseases and frailty showed a longitudinal association with worsening of self-rated health. 1 Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Departamento de Enfermagem, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Cuidado Primário em Saúde. Montes Claros, MG, Brasil. 2 Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Departamento de Saúde Mental e Coletiva, Programa de PósGraduação em Cuidado Primário em Saúde. Montes Claros, MG, Brasil. The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest in relation to the present study. No funding was received in relation to the present study. Correspondence Fernanda Cardoso Rocha nandac.rocha@hotmail.com Received: October 22, 2021 Approved: February 10, 2022 ID