Underweight and overweight among elderly persons in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been rapidly increasing along with the increasing number of elderly persons throughout the world. In developing countries like India, it is no different. At the same time, the prevalence of underweight along with its association with different socioeconomic variables cannot be neglected. The objective was to estimate the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among the elderly in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi and to find their association with various sociodemographic variables. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 499 elderly persons (60 years and above) selected by Simple Random Sampling. A pretested questionnaire was used for sociodemographic variables and weight and arm-span were measured. Prevalence was calculated and the association using multivariate logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of underweight was 13.8% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 10.9–17.2%), overweight 18.2% (95% CI: 15.0%–21.9%), and obesity 27.3% (95% CI: 23.4–31.4%). Elderly persons having normal Body Mass Index was 40.6%. Underweight was significantly associated with illiteracy and not doing anything at present; obesity was more common among females, younger, and educated elderly persons. Conclusion: Three-fifths of elderly persons in the urban area were underweight or overweight or obese. Targeted community-based interventions are required to optimize their nutritional status. Focus areas should include appropriate and acceptable dietary advice, and an increase in physical activity to reduce complications.