ABSTRACT
The objective is to estimate the prevalence of incapacity to perform tasks of daily living and to identify its association with pain and sociodemographic factors. This is a cross-sectional study, with a convenience sample, composed of individuals who actively sought healthcare in a small city with complaints of musculoskeletal pain and difficulties in carrying out activities of daily living. The sample comprised 766 individuals. Questionnaires were applied to assess the degree of difficulty in performing activities of daily living and pain (Nordic Musculoskeletal Complaints Questionnaire and Numerical Pain Scale). The prevalence of disability and pain was estimated, as well as five logistic regression models for disability were constructed considering sex, age, occupation and presence and characteristics of pain. The data found showed that the prevalence of some difficulty in performing activities of daily living was 87.6%, with a lot of difficulty 66.1%; musculoskeletal pain was 67.5%. The individuals were unable to perform 3.6 activities of daily living on average. Pain was the main association factor to explain it (OR 9.9; 95%CI 5.9-16.5), followed by age. Difficulty in performing activities of daily living was associated with pain in the lower limbs, with a frequency greater than four days a week, beginning more than five years ago and severe or unbearable intensity in crisis episodes. The prevalence of disability and pain was high. Musculoskeletal pain and age impacted functional disability. This study contributes to direct the construction of care actions that aim to minimize and prevent difficulties to perform daily tasks.
Keywords
Pain; Statistics on Sequelae and Disability; Public policy
