Evaluation of anthropometric parameters in a national sample of Mexican older adults

• Published in: Cultura, ciencia y deporte Vol. 17; no. 53; pp. 193 - 201
• Main Authors: Ortiz Rodríguez, María Araceli, Ricardo López Solís, Villa Romero, Antonio Rafael, Martínez Salazar, María Fernanda, Bautista Ortiz, Luis Fernando, Juan Felipe de Jesús Adame Alemán, Paola Kattyana Antunez Bautista
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Múrcia Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia - UCAM; Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Age groups; Body fat; Body mass index; Education; Gender differences; Obesity; Older people; Overweight; Population; Weight control; Womens health; Mexico; Germany; Baja California Mexico
• DOI: 10.12800/ccd.v17i53.1846
• ISSN: 1696-5043

The purpose of this study was to describe anthropometric parameters in a population of Mexican older adults (OA). 516 OA (277 women, 239 men) aged ≥ 65 years were interviewed. Anthropometry and a sociodemographic data questionnaire were performed. Means and standard deviations, prevalence (%) and confidence intervals are reported in the results. SPSS v20.0 was used in the statistical analysis. The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity in our population was 77%. The mean WHR values obtained were (0.97 in men and 0.89 in women). Finally, the percentage of fat in men was 30.6% and in women it was 39.8%. The results of this investigation showed significant differences between men and women in most of the anthropometric measures and nutrition indicators. The prevalence of overweight and obesity reported in the Mexican elderly population was higher than that reported in other studies, which shows an important public health problem in Mexican older adults. More studies are needed at the national level on nutritional parameters in the elderly in order to detect cardiovascular risk factors in a timely manner.