Chiu H C, Chang H Y, Mau L W, Lee T K, Liu H W
Graduate Institute of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2000 Nov;55(11):M684-90. doi: 10.1093/gerona/55.11.m684.
In Taiwan, distributions of body composition are usually generated for children, adolescent, and middle-aged groups. This study describes three anthropometric measures (i.e., height, weight, and body mass index [BMI]) of elderly persons in Taiwan.
The data was derived from a prospective cross-sectional, population-based geriatric survey funded by the National Department of Health in Taiwan in 1991. A total of 2,600 subjects were successfully evaluated. A descriptive analysis was performed to generate distributions of height, weight, and BMI of elderly persons. Based on these descriptive data, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated, and a cross-national comparison on the prevalence of obesity was made.
Age-group-specific means and standard deviations for height, weight, and BMI of Taiwanese elderly persons were presented. By gender, the elderly men were taller and heavier than the elderly women: however, the women had a higher mean value of BMI (kg/m2). The prevalence of overweight was 27.3% in men and 34.9% in women; the prevalence of obesity was 3.2% in men and 6.4% in women. The prevalence of obesity for the elderly men and women in Taiwan was lower than in Kuwait, Sweden, the United States, and the Native Americans, but higher than in Japan.
The comparison indicates cross-cultural differences existing in the prevalence of obesity, which may be due to aging, nutritional status, or environmental factors. For future research, the relationship of anthropometric data to socioeconomic status and behavioral factors will be examined.
在台湾，通常会针对儿童、青少年和中年人群体进行身体成分分布研究。本研究描述了台湾老年人的三项人体测量指标（即身高、体重和体重指数[BMI]）。
数据来源于1991年台湾地区卫生署资助的一项前瞻性横断面、基于人群的老年调查。总共成功评估了2600名受试者。进行描述性分析以得出老年人身高、体重和BMI的分布情况。基于这些描述性数据，估计超重和肥胖的患病率，并对肥胖患病率进行跨国比较。
列出了台湾老年人按年龄组划分的身高、体重和BMI的均值及标准差。按性别来看，老年男性比老年女性更高更重：然而，女性的BMI均值（kg/m²）更高。男性超重患病率为27.3%，女性为34.9%；男性肥胖患病率为3.2%，女性为6.4%。台湾老年男性和女性的肥胖患病率低于科威特、瑞典、美国和美国原住民，但高于日本。
该比较表明肥胖患病率存在跨文化差异，这可能归因于衰老、营养状况或环境因素。对于未来的研究，将研究人体测量数据与社会经济地位及行为因素之间的关系。
