OBJECTIVE:
To compare body mass index (BMI), triceps skinfold (TSF), arm circumference (PB), arm muscle circumference (MCA) and arm muscle area (AMA) in the elderly, according to sex and age group.
METHODS:
Cross-sectional study of elderly residents in urban Sarandi-PR, selected from the census and household sectors. Data were collected from October 2010 to March 2011, assessing weights, height, PB and TSF and after, calculating BMI, MCA and AMA. The values obtained are presented as mean, standard deviation and percentiles, with comparison between genders and age groups. In the analysis we used the chi-square test, t-student, ANOVA and Tukey. Differences between mean values were considered significant when p<0.05.
RESULTS:
The mean values of BMI (28.80 x 27.26), DCT (20.93 x 12.52) and PB (31.92 x 30.90) were significantly higher among women, while men presented average values of CMB (26.97 x 25.35) significantly higher. The average of AMB was also higher among men (48.97 x 45.81), but not significantly. The mean values of all variables decreased. With advancing age in both sexes, except for the DCT in men, it was also observed that the proportion of elderly people with obesity was significantly higher among women (35.9% x 24.2%).
CONCLUSION:
Women had values higher average for most of the anthropometric variables. The decrease in the values of these variables with advancing age in both sexes, even more steeply in women, is indicative of the need for nutritional monitoring and implementation of strategies to prevent pathological losses body composition in the elderly.
Elderly; Body Composition; Anthropometry; Nutritional Status