Resumo:
Introduction: Social participation is an important indicator of health and healthy aging and is
related to several aspects, among which the use of health services stands out. Previous studies
demonstrate an association between the use of health services and social participation.
Objective: To analyze the association between the use of health services and the social
participation of older adults in Brazil. Method: This is a cross-sectional, analytical study,
whose data were obtained through the 2019 National Health Survey, focusing on the elderly
population aged 60 and older. The association between health service use and social
participation was assessed through Poisson regression analysis of the groups of men and
women, using the crude model and the model adjusted for sociodemographic variables.
Results: Social participation among older adults corresponded to 79,3% and approximately
27,6% of the participants who used health services. Elderly women who used health services
more often had a higher prevalence of social activities in both the crude model (PR = 0,82; 95%
CI: 0,72–0,94) and the model adjusted for sociodemographic variables (PR = 0,83; 95% CI:
0,69–0,99). Among men, there was no association between the use of health services and social
participation, either in the crude model (PR = 1.11; 95% CI: 0.98–1.26) or in the adjusted model
(PR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.85–1.08). Conclusion: It is concluded that among elderly Brazilian
women, the use of health services is associated with the engagement of social participation.
