Excesso de peso e fatores associados em idosos: análise por diferentes classificações de Índice de Massa Corporal

Abstract

The objective of the study was to compare the overweight (OW) in the elderly according to three body mass index scores (BMI): World Health Organization (WHO), Lipschitz and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). A sectional study was performed with a sample in multiple stages of an elderly population (> 60 years) living in the urban area of Dourados, MS. Kappa coefficient and McNemar test were analyzed. Women had a higher prevalence of OW than men and at the age of 70 years or more and there was a reduction compared with younger elderly. Comparing the cutoffs points of OW classification in the elderly, there was considerable concordance (k = 0.68) between Lipschitz and WHO classifications and excellent concordance (k = 0.86) between Lipschitz and PAHO. However, the difference between the discordant pairs was statistically significant (p <0.01) among all BMI classifications and in all age groups, demonstrating the need of creating a single cut-off point to evaluate OW in elderly, avoiding misdiagnosis, facilitating comparison across studies, assisting in prevention and monitoring progress and effectiveness of treatment in elderly patients with OW.