Prevalência de quedas e fatores associados em idosos brasileiros da comunidade: revisão sistemática e metanálise

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Falls represent one of the major health problems of the elderly with serious adverse outcomes such as fractures, reduction of functional capacity and death, which generates high socioeconomic costs. For the most part, falls are preventable, which raises investigations into the issue. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of falls and associated factors in Brazilian elderly. METHODOLOGY: This is a systematic review with meta-analysis reported according to the PRISMA checklist. The protocol for this review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) system (CRD42018092326). The databases selected were Scielo, Pubmed, Lilacs, Web of Science, Scopus and PsicInfo with no date or language restrictions. The following descriptors were used: elderly, falls, Brazil, epidemiology, prevalence, incidence and their variations, in accordance with search manuals. Studies on community-based elderly, with no restrictions on sex and more than 300 participants, were included. Exclusion criteria were studies conducted specifically with seniors diagnosed with chronic disabling diseases that predispose them to falls. The Prevalence Critical Appraisal Instrument was applied to assess the methodological quality of the studies. Regarding the statistical analysis, the prevalence analysis of falls was calculated using the random effect model. A funnel plot was used to check for publication bias and the Begg–Mazumdar and Egger tests to quantify the results. Factors associated with falls were examined using sensitive analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-six studies involving 54,421 seniors were included. The prevalence of falls was 26.2% (95% CI 23.2-29.4%). With respect to associated factors, women are more susceptible to falls, advancing age is a risk factor, the follow-up period did not influence the findings and the Center-West region exhibited the highest percentages. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm the need for fall prevention strategies and the clinical management of the adverse repercussions