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Body mass index and disease burden in elderly men and women: The Tromsø Study

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Abstract

Chronic health problems may be related to body mass index (BMI, kg/m2), but this has been best documented in overweight and obese adults. The primary objective of this study was to identify factors associated with different categories of BMI in elderly men and women from the general population, also including the lower categories of BMI. In a cross-sectional population survey from the municipality of Tromsø, Norway we analyzed associations between BMI and a wide range of chronic disease conditions, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. BMI was categorized into six groups (<20, 20.0–22.4, 22.5–24.9, 25.0–27.4, 27.5–29.9, ≥30.0 kg/m2). The study included 4,259 men and women aged 65 years and older from the general population. We found low relative weight (BMI < 20 kg/m2) to be associated with increasing prevalence of mental distress, hip fracture, smoking and low handgrip strength. A U-shaped relation to BMI was found for asthma and chronic bronchitis, poor current health and low physical activity. The higher categories of BMI were associated with low education level, a difficult economical situation, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease. These results demonstrate that both low and high BMI are associated with a wide range of prevalent conditions and diseases in elderly men and women. For the clinician the findings emphasize the importance of nutritional assessment as part of the medical evaluation of elderly patients.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

COPD:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

IHD:

Ischemic heart disease

OR:

Odds ratio

SD:

Standard deviation

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Centre for research in the elderly, the Northern Norway Regional health Authority. The National Health Screening Service helped organize and carry out the Tromsø 4 survey. J. -M. K. and B. K. J. were responsible for the design of the study. J. -M. K. did the analysis and wrote the first draft of the paper. B. K. J. contributed to the analysis, interpretation of the results and the review of the drafts. J. F. contributed to the study design, the interpretation of the results and reviewed the final draft. T. W. contributed to the statistical analysis, interpretation of the data and reviewed the final draft. All the authors approved the final version.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Jan-Magnus Kvamme, Tom Wilsgaard & Bjarne K. Jacobsen

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Jan-Magnus Kvamme & Jon Florholmen

  3. Laboratory of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    Jon Florholmen

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  1. Jan-Magnus Kvamme
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Correspondence to Jan-Magnus Kvamme.

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Kvamme, JM., Wilsgaard, T., Florholmen, J. et al. Body mass index and disease burden in elderly men and women: The Tromsø Study. Eur J Epidemiol 25, 183–193 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-009-9422-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-009-9422-z

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