The main objective of the present study is to develop a socio-demographic diagnosis to identify the self-perception of the state of health of elderly women in a community of low income in a county of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a descriptive study, developed in three stages: exploratory focus groups; a Census of the elderly population and a survey with the elderly women identified in the Census. The subjects were 369 elderly women, number that corresponds to 83.5% of the eligible population. Women accounted for 62.8% of the total of the elderly in thecommunity, presenting a disfavorable social condition (49.3% are illiterate, 44.7% are widows, 62.3% have a monthly income of up to a minimum wage and 22,0% reported not having an income at all). Even though 62.0% say they have good health, 80.5% say they have some type of health problem. Due to their condition (elderly, women and poor), the group is already potentially in a situation of risk and social disadvantage compared to other groups.
Health of the Elderly; Women's Health; Aging; Cross-Sectional Studies
