Weight Control Tied to Quality of Life for Seniors

Source: Tufts University
August 8, 2002 (Reviewed: August 20, 2004)

Many older adults have difficulty performing day-to-day activities, such as bathing, dressing, shopping, and cooking. Several factors related to the aging process may account for this, including side effects of diseases and medications, loss of strength and balance, and psychological factors, such as depression. A recent study found that obesity, too, is associated with functional decline in seniors. The results are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Studying both men and women

Researchers studied 2,634 men and women aged 65 and older who lived at home in rural Pennsylvania, USA. The average age of the participants was 71. The subjects completed detailed questionnaires about their health and medical history, including height and weight, and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. BMI is a widely used method for classifying weight. In this study, a BMI of 35 or greater denoted obesity. (Usually, a BMI of 25 or more is considered "overweight" and 30 or more is considered "obese".)

The participants also completed questionnaires that allowed researchers to assess their abilities to perform certain activities, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, walking, traveling, shopping, and preparing food.

Between 3 and 4 four years later, the participants completed the same questionnaires, so that the researchers could measure changes in their abilities to perform these activities and observe whether weight was associated with these changes.

Obese individuals experienced greater declines

When compared with subjects with BMIs of 18.5-24.9 ("normal" weight), obese adults --- those with BMIs of 35 or greater --- were significantly more likely to experience functional declines. This was true for both men and women.

This finding doesn't mean that obesity necessarily causes functional decline; it could be that the obese people in this study had other health problems that contributed to their decreased ability to perform certain activities.

In addition, the researchers point out that this study was done in a fairly specific population of seniors who lived in rural areas, so it's not known whether the results would be the same in a different population.

Manage weight now for benefits later on

Still, this study underscores the advice of government and public health authorities to aim for a healthy weight. Because obesity is associated with many chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, controlling weight at a younger age might vastly improve quality of life later on.

Source

• Obesity is associated with functional decline in community-dwelling rural older persons. GL. Jensen, JM. Friedmann, J Amer Geriatr Soc, 2002, vol. 50, pp. 918--923

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