Anthropometric indicators of obesity in the elderly: data base study/ INDICADORES ANTROPOMETRICOS DE OBESIDADE EM IDOSOS: DADOS DO ESTUDO BASE

Introduction: Throughout aging, there are physiological and behavioral changes, which make the elderly more vulnerable to excessive fat accumulation. This increases the likelihood for the development of chronic diseases and the risk of mortality. Objective: To analyze the prevalence of obesity by different anthropometric indicators in the elderly in a small population municipality in northeastern Brazil. Material and Method: Epidemiological study, with cross-sectional design, conducted with elderly people living in the urban area of Aiquara-BA. Sociodemographic information was obtained from a specific form, in interviews. The following anthropometric indicators were evaluated: Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Perimeter (WP), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), Waist-to-Height Ratio (WtHR) and Conicity Index (CI). The Software Statistical Package for Social Sciences performed a descriptive analysis of the variables and Pearson's chi-square test ([X.sup.2]) (p [less than or equal to] 0.05). Results and Discussion: The study was conducted with 232 elderly people (58.8% women), aged between 60 and 93 years. The mean age was 71.6 [+ or -] 7.4 (elderly women: 71.2 [+ or -] 7.0; elderly men: 72.1 [+ or -] 8.0). Of these, 29.5% were overweight/ obese, 45.2% high WP, 67.1% WHR above the recommended level, 82.4% high WtHR and 53.3% had altered CI. A greater proportion of overweight/ obesity (36.6%), high WP (64.2%), altered WHR (86.2%) and high CI (60.7%) occurred in women; and overweight/ obesity (33.7%) and high WtHR (85.5%) among the elderly aged 60 to 79 years (p