The Effect of Obesity on Incidence of Disability and Mortality in Mexicans Aged 50 Years and Older

Objective. To examine the effect of obesity on incidence of disability and mortality among non-disabled older Mexicans at baseline. Materials and methods. The sample included 8 415 Mexicans aged ≥ 50 years from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (2001-2012), who reported no limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) at baseline and have complete data on all covariates. Sociodemographics, smoking status, comorbidities, ADL activities, and body mass index (BMI) were collected. Results. The lowest hazard ratio (HR) for disability was at BMI of 25 to < 30 (HR = 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-1.12). The lowest HR for mortality were seen among participants with BMIs 25 to < 30 (HR = 0.85; 95%CI, 075-0.97), 30 to < 35 (HR = 0.86; 95 %CI, 0.72-1.02), and ≥ 35 (HR = 0.92; 95 %CI, 0.70-1.22). Conclusion. Mexican older adults with a BMI of 25 to < 30 were at less risk for both disability and mortality.