The Impact of Body Weight on Physical Functioning Across the Later Years

An extensive body of literature analyzes the impact of body weight and various health outcomes documenting that extremes in body weight adversely effect health. Much less is known about how body weight specifically impacts physical functioning. Some studies, however, have shown an association between having excessive body weight and heightened risk for certain diseases and functional impairment. With evidence that the population is becoming heavier in greater proportions than in the past, body weight as it contributes to physical functioning remains a critical health problem. The project addresses some of the questions central to body weight and physical functioning. For example, how do certain socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and health characteristics effect the relationship between body weight and physical functioning? Is the effect of body weight specific to certain functional domains? In addition, is the basic relationship between body weight and physical functioning different in young old populations than in old old populations? Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (sample of young old adults) and asset and health dynamics among the oldest old survey (sample of old old adults) logistic regression models on the loss of physical functioning (1 = impaired) over a two year period are estimated for the young old and old old separately. A model comparing the young old and the old old is also estimated. Results indicate that body weight, more specifically obesity, impacts physical functioning across various domains of impairment. When influencing these domains, body weight acts directly but also indirectly with other factors (socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and health characteristics). In addition, important differences exist by cohort membership. The project concludes by addressing implications and areas for future research.

Gerontology (0351)

5012

ISBN 0-493-50454-0