Boateng Godfred O, Adams Ellis A, Odei Boateng Mavis, Luginaah Isaac N, Taabazuing Mary-Margaret
Department of Anthropology & Global Health, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America.
Global Studies Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2017 Nov 8;12(11):e0186947. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186947. eCollection 2017.
The causes and health risks associated with obesity in young people have been extensively documented, but elderly obesity is less well understood, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines the relationship between obesity and the risk of chronic diseases, cognitive impairment, and functional disability among the elderly in Ghana. It highlights the social and cultural dimensions of elderly obesity and discusses the implications of related health risks using a socio-ecological model.
We used data from wave 1 of the Ghana Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) survey-2007/8, with a restricted sample of 2,091 for those 65 years and older. Using random effects multinomial, ordered, and binary logit models, we examined the relationship between obesity and the risk of stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension, arthritis, difficulties with recall and learning new tasks, and deficiencies with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living.
Elderly Ghanaians who were overweight and obese had a higher risk of stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension, and were more likely to be diagnosed with arthritis and report severe deficiencies with instrumental activities of daily living. Those who were underweight were 1.71 times more likely to report severe difficulties with activities of daily living. A sub analysis using waist circumference as a measure of body fat showed elderly females with abdominal adiposity were relatively more likely to have stage 2 hypertension.
These findings call for urgent policy initiatives geared towards reducing obesity among working adults given the potentially detrimental consequences in late adulthood. Future research should explore the gendered pathways leading to health disadvantages among Ghanaian women in late adulthood.
年轻人肥胖的成因及健康风险已有大量记录，但老年人肥胖的情况却鲜为人知，尤其是在撒哈拉以南非洲地区。本研究调查了加纳老年人肥胖与慢性病风险、认知障碍及功能残疾之间的关系。研究强调了老年人肥胖的社会文化层面，并运用社会生态模型探讨了相关健康风险的影响。
我们使用了2007/8年加纳全球老龄化与成人健康研究（SAGE）调查第一波的数据，对65岁及以上人群的样本进行了限制，为2091人。我们运用随机效应多项、有序和二元逻辑模型，研究了肥胖与1期和2期高血压、关节炎、回忆和学习新任务困难以及日常生活活动和工具性日常生活活动缺陷风险之间的关系。
超重和肥胖的加纳老年人患1期和2期高血压的风险更高，更有可能被诊断出患有关节炎，并且在工具性日常生活活动方面存在严重缺陷。体重过轻的人报告日常生活活动有严重困难的可能性是其他人的1.71倍。一项以腰围作为身体脂肪衡量指标的子分析显示，腹部肥胖的老年女性患2期高血压的可能性相对更高。
鉴于成年后期可能产生的有害后果，这些研究结果呼吁采取紧急政策举措，以减少在职成年人中的肥胖现象。未来的研究应探索导致加纳老年女性在成年后期出现健康劣势的性别化途径。
