Prevalence and factors associated with underweight among Brazilian older adults

The Association Between Chronological Age and Dyslipidemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chinese Aged Population

Background and Aims

Dyslipidemia is obviously an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which might further lead to disability and death in aged population. We thus performed the current study to evaluate the association between chronological age and dyslipidemia.

Subjects and Methods

A total number of 59,716 Chinese aged population (31,174 men and 28,542 women, average age 67.8y) were included in the current study. Age and sex were abstracted from medical records. Height, body weight, and blood pressure were measured by trained nurses. Serum concentration of total cholesterol (TC) and total triglycerides were performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent method after at least 8-h fast. Dyslipidemia was defined if total cholesterol≥5.7 mmol/L, or total triglycerides≥1.7 mmol/L, or self-reported history of dyslipidemia.

Results

The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 50.4% in the current study population. Compared to the youngest age group (60-64y), the adjusted odds ratio was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.92), 0.77 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.81), 0.66 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.70), 0.55 (95% CI: 0.50, 0.59) for the participants who were 65 to 69, 70-74, 75-79, and ≥80 years old (p trend <0.001). Excluding participants with low body weight and with overweight and obesity, with high blood pressure and history of hypertension, with high fasting blood glucose and history of diabetes, generated similar results with main analysis.

Conclusion

Chronological age was closely associated with the risk of dyslipidemia in Chinese aged population.

Secular Difference in Body Mass Index From 2014 to 2020 in Chinese Older Adults: A Time-Series Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Body mass index (BMI) is the most widely used parameter to assess the body weight status. Both the increase of BMI (overweight and obesity) and decrease of BMI (underweight) has been associated with high risk of adverse outcome, such as stroke, disability, and even death. However, recent data on secular differences in BMI in the Chinese aged population are limited. The present study provides robust new evidence about the evolving epidemic of obesity among aged adults in China.

Objective

Evaluating secular difference in BMI in a group of Chinese older adults.

Materials and Methods

We analyzed 7 continuous survey years (2014–2020), including 50,192 Chinese aged participants (25,505 men and 24,687 women, aged 71.9 ± 6.1 years, age range: 65–99 years). Information on sex, age, height, and body weight, was collected based on medical history. Participants were classified into four groups: underweight (BMI &lt; 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5 kg/m2 ≤ BMI &lt; 25 kg/m2), overweight (25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI &lt; 30 kg/m2), and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Linear regressions were used to assess the secular difference in BMI. Sex and age differences were also evaluated by stratified analyses.

Results

From 2014 to 2020, age-adjusted mean BMI increased by 0.3 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.1, 0.5 kg/m2) in men, and 0.5 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.2, 0.7 kg/m2) in women. Age-standardized prevalence of underweight decreased from 3.0 to 2.3% in men, and from 3.0 to 2.1% in women. Age-standardized prevalence of overweight increased in both men (from 40.1 to 41.7%) and women (from 37.8 to 39.8%), and so as obesity (men: from 4.1 to 6.1%; women: from 5.8 to 8.7%).

Conclusion

Our results confirmed that BMI gradually increased from 2014 to 2020. The age-adjusted mean BMI increased by 0.3 kg/m2 in older men, and 0.5 kg/m2 in older women. The age- and sex-standardized prevalence of overweight and obesity significantly increased, especially in 70–79-year age group, while the prevalence of underweight decreased. The combination of a balanced-diet and physical exercise is needed to maintain optimal BMI range for the aged population.

Factor Associated with Underweight among People with Tuberculosis

Background: The relationship between Tuberculosis (TB) and nutritional status is a significant one. Patients with TB who are underweight face a higher risk of death. Purpose: This research aims to analyze the factors related to the occurrence of being underweight among TB patients at the Public Health Center (PHC) in Perak Timur, Surabaya. Method: This was an analytical observational study and used a cross-sectional design. The sample for this research was 41 respondents, who were TB patients and were undergoing treatment at the PHC in Perak Timur, Surabaya. Data collection was done from March 2020 to June 2020. Primary data was collected by conducting interviews using a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using a chi-square test. Results: The results indicated that, out of the 41 respondents, there were 21 respondents who were underweight (51.22%). Descriptively, underweight TB patients were more likely to be in the intensive phase of treatment (90%), have a low income (56.76%), have a low education status (65.38%), and be unemployed (59.38%), with PR=0.43 and 95%CI=0.76–9.38. The results of this research indicated a link between the treatment phase and TB patients being underweight (p=0.01; PR=2.33; 95% CI=1.43–3.79), the level of education attained by underweight TB patients (p=0.04; PR=0.41; 95% CI=0.17–0.99), and the income of underweight TB patients (p=0.04; PR=0.43; 95%CI=0.30–0.63). The results of this research indicated that there was a correlation between the work status and TB patients being underweight (p=0.07; PR=2.67; 95%CI=0.76–9.38). Conclusion: The treatment phase, education level and income are significantly related to TB patients being underweight.