Gender differences in association between measures of central obesity and falls in community-Dwelling middle-aged and older adults in Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2021
Abstract
Background/Purpose: Conflicting findings of the previous studies on association of obesity and fall may be attributed to the potential limitations associated with utilizing body mass index (BMI) to define obesity. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the relationship between central obesity measures waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) with falls in individuals recruited to the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using first-wave MELoR data. Sociodemographic, medical history, lifestyle factors, self-reported falls, measures of central obesity (WC & WHR), and physical performance were obtained. Individuals were considered in the high fall risk group if they either had a history of falls in the past 12 months or had a timed-up and go (TUG) score of >= 13.5s. Results: Data on WC and WHR were available for 1,335 participants, 574 (43.0%) men. No difference in self-reported falls or falls risk across WC quartiles among men but women in the third quartile (87cm
Divisions
medicinedept
Funders
Ministry of Higher Education Fundamental Research Grant Scheme [FRGS/1/2019/SKK02/UM/01/1],Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia Long Term Research
Publication Title
Aging Medicine And Healthcare
Volume
12
Issue
3
Publisher
Asia Pacific League Clinical Gerontology & Geriatrics