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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The effect of middle- and old-age body mass index on short-term mortality in older people | | Author(s) | Donald H Taylor Jr, Truls Ostbye |
| Journal title | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 49, no 10, October 2001 |
| Pages | pp 1319-1326 |
| Keywords | Musculoskeletal systems ; Middle aged ; Age groups [elderly] ; Weight ; Death rate [statistics] ; Tobacco smoking ; Exercise ; Alcoholic beverages ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | 4,791 age 65+ respondents to the community interview of the 1994 US National Long Term Care Survey (NTCLS) reported on their height, weight, and on those variables known to be modifiable risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise) at three points: 1994 NLTCS, 1 year before, and age 50. All deaths occurring between the 1994 NLTCS survey and 31 December 1995 were included. Highest mortality rates were found for older people with very low body mass index (BMI) (<18.5). In contrast, BMI at age 50 was positively related to mortality, with those in the lowest BMI category (<18.5) at age 50 having the lowest mortality. Those who were obese at age 50 but no longer obese at the NTCLS had lower mortality than those with stable weight. Weight reduction by middle-aged people who are obese should be reinforced as a public health priority, because there is evidence that long-term weight loss results in better short-term survival. Further study of healthy older survivors to determine why the are not harmed by heavier weight may provide useful insights into successful ageing. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-011115221 A |
| Classmark | BK6: SE: BB: 4X6: S5: ETT: CEA: YPP: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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