Health status of older men and women: longitudinal study/Condicoes de saude de mulheres e homens idosos com idade avancada: estudo longitudinal/Condiciones de salud de mujeres y hombres de edad avanzada: un estudio longitudinal

Objective: to describe the sociodemographic and health characteristics of women and men aged 75 or over, at baseline and after four years of follow-up, and to ascertain changes in their health status. Methods: in this longitudinal study of 109 elderly people aged 75 or over from a city in the Triangulo Mineiro, data were collected at two points (2014 and 2018), at home, by applying instruments validated for use in Brazil. Descriptive analysis and paired t-tests were performed (p < 0.05). The projects were approved by the human research ethics committee. Results: in both genders, the number of morbidities increased and the total score for instrumental activities of daily living decreased. Among women, the number of falls and frailty score also increased. Conclusion: the older people's health status worsened over the course of follow-up, more so among the women. Descriptors: Longitudinal Studies; Geriatric Nursing; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Health Status. Objetivo: descrever as caracteristicas sociodemograficas e de saude de mulheres e homens com 75 anos ou mais de idade, no baseline e follow-up de quatro anos e verificar para mulheres e homens as mudancas nas condicoes de saude. Metodos: estudo longitudinal com 109 idosos de 75 anos ou mais de idade de um municipio no Triangulo Mineiro. A coleta dos dados, realizada em dois momentos (2014-2018), ocorreu no domicilio com a aplicacao de instrumentos validados no Brasil. Procederam-se as analises descritiva e teste t pareado (p