Prevalência da fragilidade comunitária em dois distritos de Portugal

: relação com adesão à dieta mediterrânica e qualidade de vida

Abstract

Background: Between 2000 and 2019, global life expectancy increased, but the healthy quality of life index did not show a proportional improvement, contributing to the high prevalence of frailty syndrome in the elderly. This syndrome, assessed using tools such as the "Fried Phenotype," is associated with adverse health consequences and can be mitigated by adherence to healthy diets. Aim: Analyse the relationship between levels of frailty and the participants' dietary, anthropometric, clinical and quality of life characteristics, and investigate whether geographical location influences the state of frailty. Materials and methods: The study was carried out in two districts of Portugal in non-institutionalised populations aged over 65. The prevalence of frailty was assessed using the Fried Phenotype, and quality of life was classified using the WHOQOL-Bref Questionnaire. The MEDAS questionnaire was used to assess adherence to DM. Results and discussion: The study included 26 men (34.7%) and 49 women (65.3%), with an average age of 77.3 years (SD = 8.4). Most of the participants (56.0%) lived in rural areas and 61.3% were overweight according to the Lipschitz classification. The prevalence of pre-frailty was 64.0% and frailty was 29.3%, with no significant differences between urban and rural areas. Frailty was negatively correlated with HGS in both sexes and with the physical domain of the WHOQOL-Bref. Adherence to DM was considered "good" in 35.0% of participants and was more evident in urban areas. FPM was higher in women who consumed more oilseeds and lower in men who consumed white meat preferentially. Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty in the elderly population, which was more evident in females. The WHOQOL-Bref indicated positive perceptions in the domains of psychological health and social relationships, but low scores in physical capacity, which correlated with more severe states of frailty. DM adherence was higher in urban areas, with no significant correlation with frailty. Limitations include small sample size and self-reported data. Future work: Although widely studied, frailty syndrome requires further research to identify factors that influence its development and establish "gold standards". This study highlights the need to investigate its interaction with various factors and interventions that can be implemented in primary health care in order to reduce its impact.

Date of Award	18 Oct 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Marta Correia (Supervisor) & Ana Maria Gomes (Co-Supervisor)