[Motor performance of the elderly in northeast Brazil: differences with age and sex].

The aim of this study was to examine motor performance according to sex and age group in community-dwelling elderly individuals of the Brazilian Northeast. This was a cross-sectional study, which analyzed data of 316 elderly individuals from a population-based household epidemiological survey performed in January 2011. Participants of the study included 173 women (54.7%) and 143 men with an mean age of 74.2 ± 9.8 years. Women presented higher functional decline due to aging and more functional limitations in strength/endurance tests in lower members and locomotion. In both sexes, the prevalence of functional limitation was higher in the age groups 70-79 years and > 80 years, with women showing more limitation after age 70 and men after age 80. Data from this study can aid the planning of interventions for prevention, maintenance or improvement of functional limitation in older people, providing more integrated care.