Year: 1995
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: In 1988 a European Community project, SENECA (Survey in Europe on Nutrition and the Elderly, a Concerted Action), started with nineteen research groups in twelve countries to work on the major nutritional issues affecting the growing number of elderly people.About 2600 subjects aged 70-75 years old were studied, according to a strictly standardized methodology.The study has a mixed longitudinal design with an intermediate contact carried out in 1991 and a follow-up study conducted in 1993 in nine centres.An important indicator of the nutritional status is a change in the energy balance leading to either overweight or underweight.Overweight is associated with increased abdominal fat deposition (Shimokata, 1989; Den Tonkelaar et al. 1990) and has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, and left ventricular hypertrophy in the young as well as older persons (Harris et al. 1993).Underweight is associated with decreased immune response and the development of decubitus ulcers, in addition to increased hip fractures and mortality (Morley & Kraenzle, 1994).Results of the SENECA baseline study showed that obesity, defined as BMI 230 kg/m2, was prevalent in at least 20% of men in eight centres and women in twelve centres.Underweight, defined as a BMI lower than 20 kg/m2, occurred less frequently, but in four centres the prevalence amongst men was higher than 10% (De Groot et al. 1991).In order to get a better insight into predictors of changes in the energy balance, the present paper describes the relationship between BMI (kg/m2) and, more specifically, underweight on the one hand and health, nutrition and life-style factors on the other hand. METHODS SubjectsThree centres had to be excluded because insufficient data were available.From the other centres 924 men and 836 women with complete sets of data are included.They live in towns which were chosen for having stable populations (i.e.not commuter towns) of 10 000-20 000 and socio-economic structures comparable with that of their region or country as a whole (Table 1).
DOI: 10.1079/pns19950062
Institution: Wageningen University & Research
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1596897359