BMI at younger ages and health-related quality of life in older age
Overweight/obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 25.0-29.9 and ≥ 30.0 kg/m2 respectively)-now recognized as a major modifiable risk factor-is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, higher health care costs, and shorter life expectancy. Despite declines in prevalence of other key major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking, prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions and continues to rise with significant implications for the future health and well being of the aging population. While the short-term effects of BMI on quality of life (i.e., physical, mental and social well-being) are well established, the impact of BMI measured earlier in life on future health-related quality of life of men and women who survive to older ages has only recently been demonstrated. This chapter presents findings on the relation of BMI measured in middle age to health-related quality of life in older age (65 years and older), after an average follow-up of 31 years, among surviving participants from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry (CHA). The CHA study is a prospective investigation of CVD risk factors. From late 1967 to early 1973, 39,522 men and women ages 18 and older, of varied ethnicities and socioeconomic levels, employed by 84 Chicago-area organizations, were screened. In 1996 and 2001, quality of life was assessed with widely used and standardized instruments, i.e., 12-item Health Status Questionnaire (HSQ-12), Medical Outcomes Trust 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) performance of activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Results demonstrate that higher BMI in middle age adversely impacts future health-related quality of life and physical functioning in older age. Conversely, for non-overweight persons (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), preservation of health status and quality of life is evident, indicating that increasing life expectancy can be accompanied with disease-free and disability-free survival. With adverse BMI levels afflicting a large proportion of the US population and increasing numbers of people surviving to older ages, preventive measures are urgently required at younger ages to lessen future individual and societal burden of disease, health care costs, and also disability and impaired quality of life associated with excess weight. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
