L. Ruizarregui et Ja. Riveramarquez, MORBIDITY CHARACTERISTICS AMONG ELDERLY M EXICANS - AN ANALYSIS OF THE 1988 NATIONAL-HEALTH SURVEY, Salud publica de Mexico, 38(6), 1996, pp. 430-437
Objective, Based on the 1988 National Health Survey data base, a preli
minary approach to an epidemiologic profile of the Mexican elderly is
proposed. Material and methods, This paper analyzes both, reported pre
valences of some of the principal health problems in Mexicans over 60
years of age and the relationship between selected morbidity, socio-de
mographic variables and impairment of daily living activities, stratif
ied by age. Results, Results show that: a) the panorama of reported mo
rbidity among the Mexican elderly is a combination of multiple causes,
b) socially defined groups present heterogeneous disease patterns, c)
selected morbidity is strongly related to daily living activity impai
rments. Conclusions. This approach may be used to improve research on
living and health conditions of the Mexican elderly.