title: Elderly families of South of Brazil in the Health Strategy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to characterize families and health status of the elderly in the Family Health Strategy and to verify the association of family composition with sociodemographic characteristics and health of the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  population-based study with 215 families and 266 elderly, linked to the Family Health Strategy from a city of Rio Grande do Sul state.
  
  
  RESULTS
  there was predominance of nuclear family composition, considered as the main source of informal support, families of female elderly (62.6%) and cardiovascular complication. The nuclear structure was significantly associated with female gender (PR = 0.77; p = 0.025) and smoking (PR = 1.35; p = 0.009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the results reinforce the need to maintain a network of formal and informal support to the elderly and their families to preserve the independence or to postpone the decline in functional capacity.
authors: Departamento de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões, Frederico Westphalen, RS, BR.
authors: Cássia Jordana Krug
authors: CJ
authors: Wendt
authors: Departamento de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões, Frederico Westphalen, RS, BR.
authors: Marinês
authors: M
authors: Aires
authors: Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, BR.
authors: Adriana Aparecida
authors: AA
authors: Paz
authors: Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, BR.
authors: Fernanda Laís
authors: FL
authors: Fengler
authors: Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, BR.
authors: Lisiane Manganeli Girardi
authors: LM
authors: Paskulin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors