TY  - JOUR
AU  - Kvamme, J-M
AU  - Holmen, J.
AU  - Wilsgaard, T.
AU  - Florholmen, J.
AU  - Midthjell, K.
AU  - Jacobsen, B. K.
PY  - 2012
DA  - 2012//
TI  - Body mass index and mortality in elderly men and women: the Tromso and HUNT studies
T2  - J Epidemiol Community Health
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
SP  - 611
EP  - 617
VL  - 66
IS  - 7
KW  - Aged
KW  - 80 and over
KW  - *Body Mass Index
KW  - Female
KW  - Humans
KW  - Male
KW  - Mortality/*trends
KW  - Norway/epidemiology
KW  - Proportional Hazards Models
KW  - Questionnaires
KW  - Registries
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) and waist circumference (WC) on mortality in elderly individuals is controversial and previous research has largely focused on obesity. METHODS: With special attention to the lower BMI categories, associations between BMI and both total and cause-specific mortality were explored in 7604 men and 9107 women aged >/= 65 years who participated in the Tromso Study (1994-1995) or the North-Trondelag Health Study (1995-1997). A Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, marital status, education and smoking was used to estimate HRs for mortality in different BMI categories using the BMI range of 25-27.5 as a reference. The impact of each 2.5 kg/m(2) difference in BMI on mortality in individuals with BMI < 25.0 and BMI >/= 25.0 was also explored. Furthermore, the relations between WC and mortality were assessed. RESULTS: We identified 7474 deaths during a mean follow-up of 9.3 years. The lowest mortality was found in the BMI range 25-29.9 and 25-32.4 in men and women, respectively. Mortality was increased in all BMI categories below 25 and was moderately increased in obese individuals. U-shaped relationships were also found between WC and total mortality. About 40% of the excess mortality in the lower BMI range in men was explained by mortality from respiratory diseases. CONCLUSIONS: BMI below 25 in elderly men and women was associated with increased mortality. A modest increase in mortality was found with increasing BMI among obese men and women. Overweight individuals (BMI 25-29.9) had the lowest mortality.
SN  - 0143-005X
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21321065
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2010.123232
DO  - 10.1136/jech.2010.123232
LA  - English
N1  - PMID:21321065; PMC3368492
ID  - Kvamme_etal2012
ER  -