Association Between Body Mass Index with Cognitive Function and Activities of Daily Living In Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Higher BMI has been often attributed with decline in cognitive function, mortality, and morbidity in elderly. However, few studies have reported high BMI as protective towards cognition and Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Accurate quantification of the role of BMI in the incidence of cognition and performance is desirable in the face of the increasing prevalence of individuals with overweight and obesity and prolonged life span in the population. This study aimed to investigate the association of BMI with cognition and ADL in community living elderly. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted among community living elderly. BMI and KATZ index scores were recorded from the respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS version and a p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 53 respondents enrolled in this study and was predominated by (54.7%) males and (45.30%) females. Karl Pearson correlation coefficient test found a positive correlation (r= 0.33) between BMI and Cognition and was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Also, it was observed that moderately positive correlation exists between BMI and ADL (r =0.64) and was found to be statistically very highly significant (p<0.001) Conclusion: This study concluded that among elderly, higher BMI values were associated with better performance in daily activities and lower cognitive impairment. KEY WORDS: Elderly, Body mass index, Activities of Daily Living, Cognition.