P731 - HIGH RATES OF OBESITY AND CENTRAL OBESITY WITH NOTABLE SEX-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN SLOVENIAN NURSING HOMES

P731

HIGH RATES OF OBESITY AND CENTRAL OBESITY WITH NOTABLE SEX-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN SLOVENIAN NURSING HOMES

Ž. Lavriša^1,2,*, S. Krušič¹, N. Hren¹, N. Gregorič^3,4, I. Pravst^1,2,5, J. Dierkes⁶

¹Institute of nutrition, ²Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, ³University Medical Centre Ljubljana, ⁴Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, ⁵Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia, ⁶Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

Rationale: Age-specific cut-offs for obesity and central obesity are lacking, despite known changes in body proportions with aging. We examined the association of body mass index (BMI), fat mass, and waist circumference across age categories in Slovenian nursing home residents and explored their relationship with fasting glucose and diabetes mellitus.

Methods: A total of 387 residents aged 65–101 years (excluding those with severe cognitive impairment) from 20 nursing homes were included in cross-sectional analysis. Anthropometric measurements were taken, and body composition was assessed using bioimpedance. BMI was calculated to classify residents as obese or non-obese. Central obesity was defined using waist circumference thresholds for Caucasians. Participants were investigated by age in decades.

Results: Residents (220 women, 167 men; mean age 81 ± 7 years) were, on average, overweight (BMI 29 ± 6 kg/m²). Central obesity was more prevalent (65% men, 75% women) than obesity (38%). In women, height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, and obesity rates decreased with age (p<0.05), while in men, weight, BMI, and fat mass decreased. The association between BMI and waist circumference declined with age. Obesity and central obesity showed associations with fasting blood glucose in both sexes, whereas diabetes history was associated with obesity but not central obesity in men and women.

Conclusion: In old age, rates of central obesity are higher than obesity in both sexes. Body proportions change differently between sexes in old age, and while central obesity is associated with glucose concentrations in both, it is not linked to diabetes history.  These findings raise questions about the suitability of waist circumference as a marker for central obesity in older adults; however, larger datasets are needed to further explore sex-specific differences in body proportions.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared