Basic Anthropometry and Health Status of Elderly: Findings of the Maracaibo Aging Study

Objective: Determine basic anthropometry for elderly participants in a Venezuelan community and compare results for subgroups with different health status. Method: Standardized anthropometric, nutritional, neurological, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular assessments generated data on weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) by sex and age for the total sample, for normative groups without health problems that might impact anthropometry, and for reference groups with no major health problems. Centile curves of anthropometric measurements versus age are determined for women and men in the normative group. Results : Mean weight and height are significantly different between sexes, but not BMI. All three parameters show gradual declines with age. The mean 90% central interval for BMI in the normative and reference groups is 20-29 kg/m2. Conclusion: The anthropometric data for healthy elderly Venezuelans can be used in monitoring anthropometric changes and disease risk analysis for this population and possibly for other Latin American populations.