Elderly people's level of participation in social and recreational activities in Barranquilla, Colombia/Nivel de participacion en actividades sociales y recreativas de personas mayores en Barranquilla, Colombia

• Published in: Revista de salud pública (Bogotá, Colombia) Colombia), 2013-12, Vol.15 (6), p.850
• Main Authors: Pinillos-Patino, Yisel, Herazo-Beltran, Yaneth, Prieto-Suarez, Edgar
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Subjects: Analysis; Social networks
• ISSN: 0124-0064

Objective Determining elderly people's level of participation in social and recreational activities in Barranquilla, Colombia. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 469 elderly people; a basic activity of daily living scale, which had been adapted to the ongoing activities being carried out in the pertinent scenarios, was used for evaluating their level of participation in social and recreational activities. Bivariate analysis was used for estimating the relationship between level of participation and age-range and coexistence, using OR and [Chi.sup.2] tests. Results The scale categorized 40.9% of the subjects as having low participation and only 20.2% as actively and voluntarily participating in the activities being offered. There was an increased risk of non-participation in social and recreational activities regarding adults being over 80 years of age (OR 3.3: 2.2-4.9 95% CI) and those living alone (OR 1.75: 1.09-2.82 95% CI). Conclusion A clear trend towards less participation was shown as aged increased; this is why social isolation becomes a risk factor for this group of people's quality of life. It is recommended that social networks promoting the elderly's health and quality of life should thus be strengthened. Key Words: The elderly, social networking, aging, social participation (source: MeSH, BIREME). Objetivo Determinar el nivel de participacion de las personas mayores en las actividades sociales y recreativas en Barranquilla, Colombia. Metodos Estudio descriptivo transversal en 469 personas mayores, a las cuales se les evaluo el nivel de participacion en actividades sociales y recreativas mediante la Escala de Actividades Basicas Cotidianas, adaptada a las actividades que se realizan en los escenarios en los que se desarrollan. Mediante el analisis bivariado se estimo la relacion del nivel de participacion con el rango de edad y la convivencia utilizando OR y pruebas de [Chi.sup.2]. Resultados El 40,9% de los sujetos fueron categorizados con baja participacion y solo el 20,2% participan activa y voluntariamente en las actividades. Existe un mayor riesgo de no participacion en actividades sociales y recreativas en los adultos mayores de 80 anos [OR 3,3 (IC95% 2,2-4,9)] y los que viven solos [(OR 1,75 (IC95% 1,09-2,82)]. Conclusion Se muestra claramente una tendencia a una menor participacion en la medida que la edad se incrementa; razon por la cual el aislamiento social se convierte en un factor de riesgo para la calida