Prevalence of Overweight/Obesity among Elderly Persons in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: The increasing development of overweight/obesity among elderly persons in India, combined with the aging population puts them at risk of coronary heart diseases, thereby reducing life expectancy. The data on the prevalence of overweight/obesity among elderly persons in India is varied (2%–60%). Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed to obtain a holistic estimate of the prevalence of overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) among elderly persons in India. Methods: A systematic electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar to retrieve community-based studies which reported the prevalence of overweight/obesity among elderly persons in India, without any date or language restriction. To estimate the pooled prevalence and heterogeneity, the random-effects model and I 2 statistic methods were employed. We also conducted subgroup analyses, meta-regression, and sensitivity analysis. Results: We included 33 studies in this meta-analysis, which comprised a total of 60,006 participants. The pooled prevalence of overweight/obesity among elderly persons in India was 21.5% (95% confidence interval: 17.1%–26.2%, I 2-99.3%). The subgroup analysis based on gender and study setting did not reveal the cause of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis after removing a large study did not change the pooled estimate. Conclusions: One-fifth of the elderly persons in India are overweight/obese. Strengthening of primary health care by training health care providers, screening for obesity combined with appropriate management is vital to address the problem of overweight and obesity among the elderly population to reduce obesity-related complications and thereby achieve healthy aging.