Body mass index is associated with physical performance in suburb-dwelling older chinese: a cross-sectional study

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 16;10(3):e0119914. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119914. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Background: Physical performance is reported to have various beneficial effects on human health, especially in older individuals. Although such effects are associated with body mass index (BMI), the relationship between BMI and physical performance has not been clarified.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 966 suburb-dwelling Tianjin individuals aged ≥ 60 years (average age 67.5±6.02, men 435, women 531). Mobility, balance, and muscle strength were assessed by walking speed, timed up-and-go test (TUGT), and grip strength, respectively. The subjects were categorized into three groups based on BMI (kg/m2) as follows: normal weight, 18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 23.9; overweight, 24.0 ≤ BMI ≤ 27.9; and obese, BMI ≥ 28.0.

Result: After adjusting for all other variables, relative grip strength decreased when BMI increased in both men and women (P for trend <0.001 and <0.001, respectively). BMI may be negatively associated with TUGT performance in the women only. There was no apparent association between walking speed and BMI in either sex, but after adjusting for age, walking speed was faster when BMI increased in women (P for trend= 0.0162).

Conclusion: This study suggests that in older individuals, higher BMI is associated with poor muscle strength in both sexes.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Body Mass Index*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Motor Activity*
  • Muscle Strength*
  • Suburban Population*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grant (81372118) from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and grant (20120130) from the Tianjin City High School Science & Technology Fund Planning Project. The funders had an important role in study design, data collection and analysis, and decision to publish.