HEALTH AUTHORRELATO AND FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE: A MEDIATED RELATIONSHIP FOR THE PERCEPTION OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN OSTEOPOROTIC WOMEN
Postmenopausal osteoporosis, Aging, Elderly health
Aging is a natural biological process marked by physiological changes that can bring about physical consequences to the individual, such as osteoporosis, a metabolic disease that modifies bone physiology and can compromise physical performance. Self-reported health (SRH) is a useful tool for the evaluation of the elderly population, since it provides a subjective perception of the individual's health, being a strong tool for risk assessment of comorbidities, together with physical performance tools such as Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and quality of life assessments such as the Osteoporosis Assessment Questionnaire (OPAQ). However, little is known about the interaction between physical performance measures with self-reported health and how this relationship is established in elderly women with osteoporosis when mediated by quality of life.
Objective: to analyze the relationship between health self-report and functional performance when mediated by the perception of quality of life in osteoporotic women. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of the elderly women who met the inclusion criteria of this study. The elderly was submitted to questionnaires on self-reported health, quality of life related to osteoporosis and cognitive evaluation with the Leganes test. Physical evaluations were then performed using SPPB, anthropometric and clinical data, confirmation of the presence of osteoporosis indicated by a bone density test with T-score ≤ -2.5 SD. The elderly was interviewed and evaluated at the Hospital Onofre Lopes (HUOL-UFRN) and at the physiotherapy department of UFRN. In addition, guidelines were given explaining test performance and a self-explanatory primer containing information on fall prevention forms was given to the study participants.
Results: The sample consisted of 83 women, mean age 66.98 (7.09) years. Concerning self-reported health (SAR), it was observed that 30.1% of the sample considered the evaluation to be satisfactory. As a total result of the OPAQ, the mean value was 247.27 (28.05), while for the total SPPB the value obtained was 6.40 (1.87). Women with a satisfactory perception of self-reported health showed a higher mean SPPB score compared to women who had an unsatisfactory perception of SAR. There was a negative correlation with statistical significance (r = -0.33, p <0.05) between the SPPB and the OPAQ. Women who have a satisfactory perception about self-reported health showed a higher mean SPPB score compared to women who expressed an unsatisfactory perception about SAR. women who presented an unsatisfactory perception of their health score higher in the OPAQ compared to women who expressed a more satisfactory perception about the assessment.