Skip to main content
Physical impairment and body weight history in postmenopausal women: the Women’s Health Initiative
Published Web Location
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5135627/No data is associated with this publication.
Abstract
Objective
To examine whether weight history and weight transitions over adult lifespan contribute to physical impairment among postmenopausal women.Design
BMI categories were calculated among postmenopausal women who reported their weight and height at age 18 years. Multiple-variable logistic regression was used to determine the association between BMI at age 18 years and BMI transitions over adulthood on severe physical impairment (SPI), defined as scoring <60 on the Physical Functioning subscale of the Rand thirty-six-item Short-Form Health Survey.Setting
Participants were part of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI OS), where participants' health was followed over time via questionnaires and clinical assessments.Subjects
Postmenopausal women (n 76 016; mean age 63·5 (sd 7·3) years).Results
Women with overweight (BMI=25·0-29·9 kg/m2) or obesity (BMI≥30·0 kg/m2) at 18 years had greater odds (OR (95 % CI)) of SPI (1·51 (1·35, 1·69) and 2·14 (1·72, 2·65), respectively) than normal-weight (BMI=18·5-24·9 kg/m2) counterparts. Transitions from normal weight to overweight/obese or to underweight (BMI<18·5 kg/m2) were associated with greater odds of SPI (1·97 (1·84, 2·11) and 1·35 (1·06, 1·71), respectively) compared with weight stability. Shifting from underweight to overweight/obese also had increased odds of SPI (1·52 (1·11, 2·09)). Overweight/obese to normal BMI transitions resulted in a reduced SPI odds (0·52 (0·39, 0·71)).Conclusions
Higher weight history and transitions into higher weight classes were associated with higher likelihood of SPI, while transitioning into lower weight classes for those with overweight/obesity was protective among postmenopausal women.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.