Negative health behaviors incorporated into lifestyle are considered the main risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adults and the elderly. However, the relationship between the aggregation of these factors and the sociodemographic conditions of the elderly needs to be better elucidated. The aim of this study was to analyze the simultaneity of the five risk factors for NCDs in the elderly with low economic status living in a rural city in Brazil, and their association with sociodemographic variables. Cross-sectional study was conducted with elderly people from Family Health Units of the city of Ibicui-Bahia, Brazil, where 310 elderly were enrolled. Rates of physical inactivity in leisure (PIL), alcohol consumption, sedentary behavior, overweight/obesity and tobacco consumption were collected through a questionnaire in an individual interview. The average age among participants was 71.62 (± 8.16) years. The group presenting the five behaviors had high scores in both sexes (men O/E = 242.5; women O/E = 161.7). Among men and women, the highest scores found through clustering of simultaneous NCD risk factors were for the consumption of alcohol with smoking, and physical inactivity with smoking. When analyzing the association between groups and sociodemographic characteristics, men were more physically inactive than women (OR = 0.96, CI = 0.92-0.98) and concomitantly had unhealthy habits (smoking). In conclusion, the elderly are exposed to health risk factors for concurrent CNCDs and the accumulation of these risk factors was not associated with sociodemographic variables, it is suggested that further studies be carried out with the prevalent variables as well as to analyze why the elderly population presents these levels.
To compare the effect that two programs of physical exercise have over the memory of elderly people. Methods: This was an intervention study conducted with 79 seniors of both sexes. Individuals included in the study were randomly assigned into two groups: aerobic exercise (39 individuals) and neuromotor exercise (40 individuals). Interventions: The aerobic exercise program consisted of walking activities. The neuromotor exercise program included activities for muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and agility. A total of 36 sessions were conducted with each one lasting approximately 50 minutes, 3 days a week for a period of 12 weeks, for both groups. Main outcomes and measures: The intensity of activity was controlled by the Borg scale (12-16). We evaluated memory performance through a list of figures. Means of the tests for memory performance were compared through Repeated Measures (p £ 0.05). Results: After the intervention period, 44 individuals remained in the sample while 29 remained in the aerobic group and 15 in the neuromotor group. The average age of respondents was 68.81 ± 7.12 years. No significant differences were observed between groups when analyzing the interaction, time, and group according to memory tests. Significant improvements were identified after the intervention period in both groups for the variables nomination and incidental memory. Conclusion: Aerobic and neuromotor exercise programs led to an increase in the memory performance of the elderly in the functions appointment (short-term memory) and incidental memory (long-term memory).
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