PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG AGED WOMEN FROM THE COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE ELDERLY IN VITÓRIA, ES, BRAZIL

Abstract

Introduction: Senescence alters the morpho-functional characteristics of the individual as well as do a number of nutritional disorders, such as overweight and obesity. Objective: This study assessed the prevalence of overweight and obesity among aged women from the Community Center for the Elderly in Vitória, ES, Brazil. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study was performed and a convenience sample was composed of 135 women aged between 60 and 79 years. Body weight, height and skinfold were recorded in order to check body mass index (BMI) and percentage of body fat (%BF), respectively. T test for independent samples was used to compare the anthropometric characteristics among age groups. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was analyzed using the chi-square test. The level of significance was 5%. Results: BMI values showed a high prevalence of obesity (28% and 22% in the age groups 60-69 and 70-79 years, respectively) and overweight (19% and 17% in the age groups 60-69 and 70 to 79 years, respectively), which consist together of an overweight prevalence of 42.96% in the studied population. The %BF results showed a high prevalence of elderly classified into the “poor” and “very poor” categories, representing 33% of the sample in both age groups. Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among aged women from the Community Center for the Elderly in Vitória, ES, which reinforces the need for implementation of nutritional and physical activity programs for body fat reduction. DESCRIPTORS Older Women. Overweight. Obesity. Elderly