Short Sitting Height and Low Relative Sitting Height Are Associated with Severe Cognitive Impairment among Older Women in an Urban Community in China

Abstract

Background: Anthropometric indexes are powerful indicators of the environment and the plasticity of the human body. This study aimed at exploring the anthropometric indexes that are associated with late-life cognition impairment among the elderly Chinese in the Shanghai Aging Study. Methods: The height, weight, and sitting height of 3,741 participants were measured. Participants were diagnosed with ‘dementia', ‘mild cognitive impairment', or ‘cognitive normal' by neurologists using DSM-IV and Petersen criteria. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between height, sitting height, leg length or relative sitting height and cognitive function. Results: Participants with dementia had the shortest body height (mean 157.2 cm, SD 9.1), the shortest sitting height (mean 81.8 cm, SD 5.6), and the lowest relative sitting height (mean 52.0 cm, SD 1.9). After adjustment for age, gender, education, lifestyles, medical history, apolipoprotein genotype and weight, shorter sitting height (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.16 per cm), longer leg length (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.99 per cm), and lower relative sitting height (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.04-1.31 per 1%) were found to be significantly associated with dementia in older women. Conclusions: The potential risks for late-life severe cognitive impairment may be related to health problems in childhood and slow growth during puberty in women.

Sex-related associations between body height and cognitive impairment among low-income elderly adults in rural China: a population-based cross-sectional study

“…A cross-sectional study from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort suggested that body height was positively associated with cognitive function, but only in older men and younger women [ 13 ]. In addition, shorter sitting height and lower relative sitting height were found to be significantly associated with dementia among elderly women in the urban Shanghai community in China [ 14 ]. In the present study, body height had a positive association with cognitive function among low-income elderly men in rural China; however, no relationship was found for elderly women.…”

“…A cross-sectional study from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort suggested that body height was positively associated with cognitive function, but only in older men and younger women [ 13 ]. Another community-based study indicated that shorter sitting height and longer leg length, rather than shorter body height, were associated with dementia among elderly women in urban Shanghai [ 14 ].…”