Obesity in Older Adults

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity in the United States is increasing in all age groups. During the past 30 years, the proportion of older adults who are obese has doubled. In this article the author describes the prevalence and causes of obesity among older adults as well as the consequences of obesity in older adults. Recommendations for interventions to address obesity are also provided. Differences between the two groups of older adults, those 50 to 65 years of age, and those over 65 years of age, will be addressed. The goal of the article is to raise nurses’ awareness of the challenges of obesity in older adults.

Central obesity and its predictors among adults in Nekemte town, West Ethiopia

“…Resistance to leptin could cause a decreased ability to regulate appetite downward. [41][42][43][44] Married participants were more at risk than those who were single and this is again reported from the result of the study done in Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa. 3,5,6 The likelihood of married people being more abdominally obese has been attributed to a change of dietary patterns after marriage in relation to childbearing and culture of postpartum care for women in Ethiopia.…”

“…41 The possible explanation for this might be that fast foods are low in fiber, high in glycemic load, and high in energy density which may be greater than the daily energy requirements. 41–45…”

“…[36][37][38][39][40] The prevalence of central obesity in this study was comparable with the finding from the studies done in Indonesia, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Jimma, [37][38][39][40] but higher than the findings from result of studies done in southern China, Nigeria, Uganda, Mizan Aman, and Addis Ababa. 5,8,23,41,42 This difference might be explained by the change in lifestyle of the society from time to time which comes from increased urbanization and nutrition transition causing replacement of traditional plant-based diets by high sugars, animal fats, low in starch diets, low dietary fiber, low fruits, and vegetables. 43 However, it was lower as compared to the study done in Urban areas of northwest Ethiopia, India, and South Africa.…”

“…41 The possible explanation for this might be that fast foods are low in fiber, high in glycemic load, and high in energy density which may be greater than the daily energy requirements. [41][42][43][44][45] Individuals with poor knowledge toward obesity were more likely to be centrally obese as compared to their counterparts. This might be due to the fact that individuals with poor knowledge may face challenge to practice healthy lifestyle to prevent obesity.…”

Texting Older Sisters to Step to Manage Obesity in Older Black Women: A Feasibility Study

“…9−11 Furthermore, obesity and inadequate PA can lead to functional and cognitive declines that are often associated with aging and may further exacerbate the prevalence of overweight and obesity. 10,12,13 PA is defined as any that gets your body moving. 14 Regular PA is achieved when adults obtain 150 minutes or more a week, which is equivalent to 30 minutes a day and 5-7 days a week.…”