Longitudinal association between oral function and underweight onset among community‐dwelling older adults: Role of regular self‐weighing

Aims Regular self‐weighing is effective in weight management and may help to mitigate the risk of underweight among older adults. We examined which factors of oral function are associated with a risk for underweight among community‐dwelling older adults and whether regular self‐weighing can mitigate that risk. Methods This was a cohort study. Self‐administered questionnaires were mailed to 7665 older adults in March 2019 (response rate 74.3%) and 7591 in March 2020 (response rate 74.7%). Among those who responded to both surveys, 3594 older adults who were not underweight in March 2019 were included (follow‐up rate: 59.2%). We examined the association between dysphagia, poor masticatory function, and dry mouth and the development of underweight, and whether regular self‐weighing reduced the risk for underweight. Results The average age ± standard deviation of participants was 71.1 ± 3.4 years. There was a significant association between swallowing difficulty and the occurrence of underweight (odds ratio = 1.65, p = .012). However, this relationship did not differ significantly with regular self‐weighing (p = .477). Conclusions These study findings suggest that to prevent underweight among community‐dwelling older adults, it is important to focus on those with poor swallowing function.