Disability prevalence among the elderly in Brazil

Abstract

International studies point to a decrease in the prevalence rate of disability in the elderly in developed countries. Brazil is undergoing an accelerated aging process likely to intensify in the course of the next decades. Thus, this study aims to analyze the changes occurring in the Brazilian disability profile for the population aged 60 years or more on national and regional level using the data of the 1998 and 2003 National Household Sample Survey (PNAD). The results show a general but socio-demographically differentiated reduction in the prevalence of disability during the period under study.