OBJECTIVE: To describe the study methodology and to identify the socio-demographic characteristics of the elderly in Fortaleza/CE. METHOD: Epidemiological, cross-sectional household-based study. A total of 385 households were selected through probabilistic sampling techniques stratified by the neighborhoods and census sectors of Fortaleza. The variables analyzed were: gender, age group (60-69, 70-79 and 80 years or more), skin color, years of schooling, marital status and number of residents in the household. RESULTS: 483 elderly people were interviewed (327 women, 126 men). Elderly mulattos represented 55.1% of the sample. Most of the elderly (61.7%) were illiterate or had a very low educational level. A large number of the elderly was married (48.5%); however, there was a higher proportion of widows (38.2%) among women. 68.7% of the selected households had between 2 and 5 residents. CONCLUSION: Results indicate the heterogeneity of the elderly population. These results suggest the importance of public action to meet the needs of the elderly population. In addition, other studies should be performed, in order to expand the knowledge on this population.
Elderly; Epidemiological study; Household survey; Socio-demographic characteristics
