The Bambuí Health and Aging Study (BHAS): factors associated with hospitalization of the elderly.

This study aimed to identify factors associated with hospital admissions of the elderly. All residents of Bambuí, Minas Gerais State >/= 60 years (n = 1,742) were selected. Some 1,606 of these (92.2%) participated in the study. The dependent variable was the number of hospital admissions (none, one, and two or more) during the previous 12 months. Independent variables were grouped as enabling, predisposing, and need-related factors. The strongest associations with multiple hospital admissions were: living alone; financial constraints to purchase of medication; and various indicators of need (worse self-perceived health, more visits to physician, greater use of prescription medications, and history of coronary heart disease). Such variables could help identify older adults at greatest risk and thus prevent hospitalization.