Association of body mass index with the functional fitness of elderly women attending a physical activity program

Vagetti, Gislaine Cristina; Oliveira, Valdomiro de; Silva, Michael Pereira; Pacífico, Ana Beatriz; Costa, Tiago Rocha Alves; Campos, Wagner de

doi:10.1590/1981-22562017020.160160

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Revista Brasileira de Geriatria e Gerontologia

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ORIGINAL ARTICLES • Rev. bras. geriatr. gerontol. 20 (02) • Mar-Apr 2017 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-22562017020.160160 copy

Association of body mass index with the functional fitness of elderly women attending a physical activity program

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Objective:

to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and functional fitness levels linked to the Elderly in Movement Program of the city of Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

Methods:

The study is characterized as correlational and cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 1,806 elderly female participants of the Elderly in Movement Program. The short version of the IPAQ was used to evaluate participation in physical activities; body weight (kg) and height (m) were measured to calculate BMI (kg/m²), while the motor tests proposed in the Senior Fitness Test were used to evaluate the functional fitness of the elderly women. Descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test and binary logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Results:

The results showed that 24.0% of the sample exhibited eutrophic nutritional status, 42.9% were overweight and 33.1% were obese. The elderly women classified as overweight and obese had lower functional fitness scores, based on the rating of Rikli and Jones, while the elderly women classified as eutrophic exhibited levels within the normal range. Obese elderly women were more likely to have low scores in the following functional fitness tests: Walk for 6 minutes, Chair Stand, Chair Sit and Reach, Back Scratch and 8-Foot Up and Go.

Conclusion:

The study indicated an association between, BMI and functional fitness in the elderly women participating in the program, where the majority of elderly women classified as obese exhibited low fitness in all tests.

Keywords:
Physical Fitness; Elderly; Body Mass Index.

Universidade do Estado do Rio Janeiro Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524 - Bloco F, 20559-900 Rio de Janeiro - RJ Brasil, Tel.: (55 21) 2334-0168 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
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[1] Correspondence Gislaine Cristina Vagetti E-mail: gislainevagetti@hotmail.com

Name	Purpose	Description
Body mass index	Evaluate body mass index	Ratio of the weight and height (kg/m²); with normal weight, overweight and obese classified into the following categories, respectively: 18.5-24.9 km/m², 25-29.9 kg/m² and ≥30 kg/m², in accordance with WHO standards (2000).
6 minute walk	Evaluate cardiovascular resistance	Maximum distance (in meters) that the participant walked during 6 minutes within a rectangular, 50-meter circuit.
Arm curl	Evaluate strength of the upper limbs	Number of repetitions of arm curls executed during 30s while holding a 2.5 kg dumbbell.
Chair stand	Evaluate strength of the lower limbs	Number of repetitions where the participant can stand up and return to their initial (seated) position in 30s.
Chair sit and reach	Evaluate the flexibility of the lower limbs	With the participant in seated position with legs extended, measure the maximum extension distance (cm) while lowering the torso in the direction of the feet.
Back scratch	Evaluate the flexibility of the upper limbs	The participant must position their dominant hand over the same shoulder and the other hand below and behind the back in an attempt to link both hands; the distance between the hands is then measured.
8 foot up and go	Evaluate the participants' physical mobility (speed, agility and dynamic balance)	Amount of time that the participant takes to walk 2.44m from the seated position and return to the starting position.

Variables	N (%)
Age Group (years)
60-64	624 (35.0)
65-69	432 (24.2)
70-74	409 (22.9)
75-79	196 (11.0)
80-84	122 (6.8)
Race/ethnicity
Caucasian	1438 (80.7)
Brown/black (mixed race/Afro-Brazilian)	214 (12.0)
Others	131 (7.3)
Income Bracket
A+B (highest income bracket)	588 (33.0)
C	1026 (57.5)
D+E (lowest income bracket)	169 (9.5)
Academic Background
Elementary school (incomplete)	573 (32.1)
Elementary school (completed)	796 (44.6)
High school (graduated)	267 (15.0)
University (graduated)	147 (8.2)
Employment Status
Retired	1047 (58.8)
Pensioner	358 (20.1)
Unemployed/homemaker	378 (21.2)
Marital Status
Single	141 (7.9)
Married	726 (40.7)
Separated	196 (11.0)
Widowed	720 (40.4)
Health Issues
No	389 (21.8)
Yes	1394 (78.2)
Quantity of medications taken
None	400 (22.4)
1	786 (44.1)
2	444 (24.9)
3 or more	153 (8.6)
Moderate to intense exercise (mins/week)
0-149	892 (50.0)
150-299	768 (43.1)
≥300	123 (6.9)

Variables	N (%)
Body Mass Index Categories*
Eutrophic	434 (24.0)
Overweight	774 (42.9)
Obesity	598 (33.1)
Functional Fitness**
6 minute walk
Low	878 (48.6)
Adequate	928 (51.4)
Arm curl
Low	801 (44.4)
Adequate	1005 (55.6)
Chair Stand
Low	707 (39.1)
Adequate	1099 (60.9)
Chair sit and reach
Low	846 (46.8)
Adequate	960 (53.2)
Back scratch
Low	883 (48.9)
Adequate	923 (51.1)
8 foot up and go
Low	899 (49.8)
Adequate	907 (50.2)

	Body mass index categories
Functional capacity^*	Eutrophic	Overweight	Obese	X²	p
6 minute walk
Low	20.4%^a	37.8%^a	41.8%^b	58.532	0.000
Adequate	27.5%^a	47.6%^a	24.9%^b	58.532	0.000
Arm curl
Low	26.2%^a	38.8%^b	35.0%^a	9.798	0.007
Adequate	22.3%^a	46.1%^b	31.6%^a	9.798	0.007
Chair Stand
Low	20.5%^a	41.6%^a	37.9%^b	14.502	0.001
Adequate	26.3%^a	43.7%^a	30.0%^b	14.502	0.001
Chair sit and reach
Low	19.3%^a	42.1%^b	38.7%^c	30.009	0.000
Adequate	28.2%^a	43.5% ^b	28.2% ^a	30.009	0.000
Back scratch
Low	16.4%^a	39.3% ^b	44.3% ^c	111.831	0.000
Adequate	31.3%^a	46.3%^b	22.4%^c	111.831	0.000
8 Foot up and go
Low	19.9% ^a	38.0%^a	42.0%^b	65.485	0.000
Adequate	28.1%^a	47.6%^a	24.3%^b	65.485	0.000

	6 minute walk (Low)	Arm Curl (Low)	Chair Stand (Low)	Chair sit and reach (Low)	Back scratch (Low)	8 Foot up and go (Low)
Body mass index categories	Odds Ratio^a (CI 95%)	Odds Ratio^a (CI 95%)	Odds Ratio^a (CI 95%)	Odds Ratio^a (CI 95%)	Odds Ratio^a (CI 95%)	Odds Ratio^a (CI 95%)
Eutrophic	1	1	1	1	1	1
Overweight	1,07 (0.84 -1.36)	0,71* (0.56 - 0.90)	1,22 (0.95 - 1.57)	1,40* (1.10 -1.79)	1,62* (1.27 - 2.08)	1,13 (0.89 - 1.44)
Obese	2,28* (1.77 -2.95)	0,91 (0.71 - 1.17)	1,65* (1.27 - 2.14)	1,96* (1.52 -2.53)	3,78* (2.90 - 4.93)	2,50* (1.93 - 3.23)