The Effect of Obesity on Disability and Mortality in Mexican Older Adults

Objective: To examine the effect of obesity on incidence of disability and mortality among non-disabled older Mexicans at baseline. Methods: The sample included 8,415 Mexicans aged ≥50 years from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (2001-2012) who reported no limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) at baseline and have complete data on all covariates. Socio-demographics, smoking status, comorbidities, ADL activities, and body mass index (BMI) were collected. Results: The lowest hazard ratio (HR) for disability was at BMI of 25 to <30 (HR=0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-1.12). The lowest HR for mortality were seen among participants with BMIs 25 to <30 (HR=0.85; 95% CI, 075-0.97), 30 to <35 (HR=0.86; 95 % CI, 0.72-1.02), and ≥35 (HR=0.92; 95 % CI, 0.70-1.22). Conclusion: Mexican older adults with a BMI of 25 to <30 were at less risk for both disability and mortality.