RCMOS - Revista Científica Multidisciplinar O Saber · Oct 20, 2026
Functional capacity and fall screening in older adults from the rural area in the Sertão Paraibano
By Mota CDSS, Rodrigues AW, da Silva AMR et al.
Through the intensification of population aging in Brazil, rural areas stand out for the number of resident older adults. In view of this, falls present themselves as an important health problem, being linked to functional impairments, loss of autonomy, and increased morbidity and mortality. The current study aimed to evaluate functional capacity and perform fall risk screening in older adults living in the rural area of a municipality in the sertão paraibano. It referred to a field research, of a descriptive nature, with a quantitative approach. Older adults aged 60 years or older participated, making up the sample of 10 individuals registered and followed up by Basic Health Units in the rural area selected by convenience. For data collection, instruments were used for sociodemographic and clinical characterization, functional capacity assessment, cognitive and mental screening, pain measurement, in addition to physical and functional tests to identify the risk of falls. Data were analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics, version 25.0, using descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, Mann–Whitney test, and univariate logistic regression. A significance level of 5% (p < 0.05) was adopted. The population presented functional independence, but physical and functional alterations associated with vulnerability to falls.