Demographic characteristics (age and sex) and basic and instrumental activities of daily living in adults and elderly healthy

Abstract

Introduction: The society is aging, and among the compromises that come with advancing chronological age, is the occurrence of disability. Objective: To identify and analyze the relationship between demographic characteristics (age and gender) and the basic activities of daily living for healthy adults and seniors. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study, in 2008, with 75 individuals. For the evaluation of basic and instrumental activities were employed the Katz Index and the Lawton Scale, respectively. Results: There were significant differences only when comparing the instrumental activities with the gender, observing a smaller man’s ability to perform tasks like cleaning the house, preparing meals and washing and ironing clothes. Conclusions: The results suggest that age influences the aging process, sex is related to the performance of household activities and the lifestyle adopted by the individual directly influences its quality of life.