Hand grip strength (HGS) is recognized as an important health indicator, but validated reference values that can be applied to the evaluation of individuals in different populations are still lacking. This work aimed to identify correlations between HGS and anthropometric variables and to establish HGS reference values for adult and elderly populations. This is a population-based cross-sectional study considering the subsets of individuals with healthy right or left upper limbs from a sample of 1,609 adults and elderly residents in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. Descriptive statistics of anthropometric measures and HGS values at maximum performance based on three measurements of the two hands were obtained, and Pearson correlations between these variables were applied. Percentile distributions were estimated for right and left HGS by sex and age group. Men presented, in general, a maximum HGS 57% higher than women (43.4 kg vs. 27.6 kg), and also higher HGS levels in the different age groups. In both sexes, the highest HGS values were observed in the age group of 30 to 39 years (men, 46.9 kg; women, 29.4 kg), with a subsequent decline. HGS presented a negative correlation with age and a weak to moderate positive correlation with anthropometric variables, among men and women. The median HGS of men was reduced by about 46% between the ages of 30 and 39 years and 80 years and over (right hand, 46.4 to 23.7 kg; left hand, 42.2 to 23.5 kg) and by about 44% in women (right hand, 29.0 to 16.4 kg, left hand, 27.3 to 15.2 kg). The values identified are a reference for HGS behavior among healthy adults and seniors, although they do not discriminate individuals with specific health conditions. They can be used in rehabilitation programs and subsidize future studies aimed at exploring their potential application in the evaluation of the health condition of adults and elderly individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and the factors associated to it in older adults (≥ 60 years). METHODS: This is a population-based research conducted in 2014, involving 1,016 older adults living in urban and rural areas of the municipality of Rio Branco, Acre. Chronic kidney disease was defined by glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml/min/1.73 m², estimated by the equations of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration, and the presence of albuminuria > 29 mg/g. Association measure were estimated by gross and adjusted odds ratio (OR), with a confidence level of 95% (95%CI). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease was 21.4% in older adults, with the associated factors age, diabetes (OR = 3.39; 95%CI 2.13–5.40), metabolic syndrome (OR = 2.49; 95%CI 1.71–3.63), self-assessment of poor health (OR = 1.79; 95%CI 1.10–2.91), arterial hypertension (OR = 1.82; 95%CI 1.04–3.19) and obesity (OR = 1.69; 95%CI 1.02–2.80). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease was high in older adults, being associated with age, self-assessment of health as bad or very bad, obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Resumo Este estudo objetivou analisar a associação entre multimorbidade e depressão e qualidade de vida em idosos da Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF), por meio de estudo transversal com cadastrados na ESF de Senador Guiomard, Acre. Utilizou-se a Escala de Depressão Geriátrica (EDG-15) e o Questionário de Qualidade de Vida (WHOQOL-Bref). As diferenças das variáveis descritivas por idosos com e sem multimorbidade foram estimadas pelo teste qui-quadrado de Pearson e as associações entre multimorbidade e depressão e qualidade de vida foram estimadas com técnica de regressão logística. Observou-se que idosos com depressão representaram 27% da amostra, sendo essa doença em maior proporção entre os com multimorbidade em comparação àqueles sem. Os idosos com multimorbidade tiveram duas vezes mais chance de apresentar depressão. Similarmente, os indivíduos com multimorbidade tiveram maior chance de pior qualidade de vida total e nos domínios físico, psicológicos, social (todos com p ≤ 0,010), exceto no domínio ambiental (p = 0,493). Assim, a multimorbidade em idosos está associada à presença de depressão e pior qualidade de vida, impondo à ESF o desafio de garantir a essa população viver a senescência sem sofrimento e redução da qualidade de vida.

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