Sufficiency of income perceived by the elderly in the city of Sao Paulo/Brazil

During the course of their lives elderly Brazilians have witnessed a country with major social contradictions, where the differences between individuals in relation to the factors involved in treatment and understanding of their needs are many. In 2000, factors associated with the perception of income sufficiency of elderly people (60 years and over) in Sao Paulo were analyzed, in an attempt to understand a few of these aspects. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted by interviews with 2,143 elderly people (60 years and over). Of these, 1,300 needed no help in answering the questionnaire and scored 13 or more points on the Mini Mental State Examination. They had salaried work at some stage, had some form of income and this matched the amount of income sources reported. Thirty-one percent of the elderly perceived their income as sufficient. Those with income above poverty levels had higher odds of satisfactory perception. Regardless of income, they were associated with: having predominantly worked in non-physical labor; started work at 14 years or older; having private health insurance; more than one source of income; not suffering privation in the first 15 years of life; being 70 or older; enjoying good health and autonomy in daily activities without assistance.