Among older women, dying or developing mobility disability and major chronic disease before 85 years of age was associated with overall and abdominal obesity, according to a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers examined 36,611 women from the Women’s Health Initiative observational study and clinical trial programs who could have reached 85 years or older if they survived to the last outcomes evaluation. Between October 1993 and December 1998, researchers recruited patients from 40 US clinical centers.
Main outcome measures included survival without major chronic disease and without mobility disability; survival with one or more major chronic diseases at baseline but without new disease or disability; survival and development of one or more major chronic diseases but not disability during study follow-up; survival and development of mobility disability with or without disease; and no survival.
Study results showed underweight and obese women were more likely to die before 85 years of age compared with healthy weight women. Researchers also found higher risks of incident disease and mobility disability among overweight and obese women, whereas higher risk of earlier death, incident disease and mobility disability was associated with waist circumference greater than 88 cm.
For more information:
Rillamas-Sun E. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174:98-106.
Disclosure: The researchers have no relevant financial disclosures.
