Larger body mass index and waist circumference are associated with lower mortality in Chinese long-term care facility residents.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and all-cause mortality of Chinese residents in long-term care facilities in Taiwan.

DESIGN:

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING:

Eight long-term care facilities in Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS:

Three hundred fifty-four residents aged 60 and older (median 78.4, range 60-101; 156 men, 198 women) were recruited during the study period.

MEASUREMENTS:

Anthropometrics and metabolic parameters were measured at baseline. Mean BMI was 21.7 ± 4.2 kg/m(2) (range 11.6-35.3 kg/m(2) , and mean WC was 82.4 ± 10.9 cm (range 55.0-124.0 cm). Mortality data were from the Department of Health in Taiwan.

RESULTS:

There were 219 deaths during the 5 years of follow-up. After adjusting for age, sex, albumin, Karnofsky performance status scale, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, subjects in the highest quartile of BMI (27.3 ± 2.8 kg/m(2) ) and WC (96.7 ± 7.4 cm) had a significantly lower mortality rate than did subjects in the lowest quartile (BMI, 16.7 ± 1.7 kg/m(2) ; WC, 69.6 ± 4.2 cm). After further stratification according to central obesity status, the subjects in the two highest BMI quartiles had a lower mortality rate than those in the lowest BMI quartile but only in the central obesity group (≥ 90 cm in men or ≥ 80 cm in women). The adjusted relative risk for all-cause mortality in the highest versus lowest BMI quartile was 0.17 (95% confidence interval = 0.05-0.57).

CONCLUSION:

BMI and WC were negative predictors for all-cause mortality in older Chinese adults living in long-term care facilities. Participants with higher WC and BMI had lower all-cause mortality.

• Authors: Wen-Yuan Lin, Jeanine Albu, Chiu-Shong Liu, Hui-Ying Huang, F Xavier Pi-Sunyer, Chia-Ing Li, Tsai-Chung Li, Cheng-Chieh Lin, Kuo-Chin Huang
• Journal: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (J Am Geriatr Soc) Vol. 58 Issue 11 Pg. 2092-8 (Nov 2010) ISSN: 1532-5415 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21054289 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2010, Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2010, The American Geriatrics Society.

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Body Mass Index
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Homes for the Aged
• Humans
• Long-Term Care
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Mortality (trends)
• Prospective Studies
• Taiwan
• Waist Circumference