Журнал терапии ожирения и снижения веса

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Overweight and Obesity among Older Adults: How should Obesity be Determined?

Shahla Wunderlich

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a common tool used to determine whether an individual is obese. The key question about obesity is whether it has any relationship to health problem as measured by common health markers. The purpose of this study therefore, is to examine whether BMI screenings are an accurate tool to measure the health status of older adults. Basic health marker screenings were performed from 123 free living older adults in New Jersey. Their health markers for blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol were compared with their BMIs to determine if there was a direct correlation. These results were compared with existing literature on BMI screenings in older adults. The trend of health markers between BMI categories was similar (p > 0.05). Being overweight or obese did not necessarily show undesirable health markers. Therefore, BMI should not be used as the only tool in determining the health, obesity, and functionality of older adults.