To assess the validity of a battery of functional capacity tests in community-living elderly Canadians.
cross-sectional study.
baseline data from 1793 men and women aged 74.4 +/- 4.1 participating in the NuAge longitudinal study were collected from December 2003 to April 2005 and used for the analyses. A global score measuring functional capacities (BFC) was constructed as the sum of four tests according to a method proposed by Guralnik [Timed Up and Go, walking speed (4 m), chair stands (five times), standing balance]. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to study the relationship between age, sex, and physical activity, and BFC score.
The global functional capacities score had an internal consistency of 0.74. It was significantly associated with age, sex and measures of mental and physical health status including: cognitive function (
Three hundred thirty eight Latinamerican refugees living in Lund, Sweden, 51 that lived in Lund and were repatriated to Chile and 1132 Swedish subjects were interviewed using the survey of the Swedish National Statistics Institute. Data were analyzed using an unconditional logistic regression model, controlling possible confounders. Refugees living in Lund and repatriated to Chile considered their health as bad in a higher proportion than their Swedish counterparts, with an odds ratio of 3.48 (2.03-5.66) and 4.78 (2.1-10.25) respectively. Refugees and repatriated subjects had a higher risk of suffering long lasting illnesses with odds ratio of 2.84 and 2.64 respectively. It is concluded that there are great differences in life standards, housing and social relationships between Swedish people, Latinamerican refugees and repatriated individuals.
