DANTAS, Letticia Eduarda Buriti.
Resumo:
Water is the most abundant element in our body and performs several vital functions. A lack
of water can cause various damages to the body, including dehydration, which is very
common in the elderly, due to changes caused by senescence that can lead to low water
consumption. water, such as a decrease in the sensation of thirst, prevalence of tooth decay,
periodontitis and tooth loss, as well as a decrease in the quantity and quality of saliva,
swallowing disorders and a decrease in taste buds, this low consumption can bring about
several clinical manifestations such as dry skin and mouth, constipation, headache, among
others, and it is important to study this consumption to reduce these symptoms and improve
the quality of life of this population. The present work aimed to evaluate the water intake of
elderly people belonging to a community center in the municipality of Picuí, Paraíba. A
sample of 68 (sixty-eight) elderly people attending the “Centro do Idoso Manoel Putêncio” in
Pícuí-PB, selected randomly, was obtained. To collect the data, a questionnaire adapted from
Araújo (2014) was used, where the aspects sociodemographic, clinical, physiological and
fluid intake habits of the elderly people interviewed, the questionnaire was applied over a
period of 2 (two) months, covering the months of July and August 2023 at the Centro do
Idoso de Picuí – PB. The sample was mostly made up of females (86.8%) and 13.2% of
males. When evaluating nutritional status, it was observed that 17.6% were underweight and
that both elderly people who were in eutrophy and those with excess weight had the same
percentage (41.2%), the majority (94.1%) reported having this habit of drinking liquids,
67.7% consumed 1-2 liters of water per day, not no relevant relationship was found between
nutritional status and age, negative association with nutritional status and relevance of the
symptom of physical and mental fatigue and changes in relation to the amount of water
consumed by the elderly. Considering the consequences that dehydration can bring to the
elderly, it is necessary to carry out more specific studies to seek how to improve this water
consumption and educational lectures with Folders so that they obtain greater knowledge
about the importance of dehydration for thus reducing symptoms and improving the quality of
life of this public.