Probl Hig Epidemiol 2019, 100(1): 50-55pl

Obesity in elderly inhabitants of Krakow - causes and scale of the problem

Izabela Zbrońska

Krakowskie Centrum Rehabilitacji i Ortopedii, Wydział Lekarski i Nauk o Zdrowiu, Krakowska Akademia im. AF. Modrzewskiego

Summary
Introduction. It was not until 1999 that obesity was classified in the disease register as a chronic disease with a complex, multifactor aetiology. Pathologies and dysfunctions of all systems and organs intensify along with excess body fat and the duration of obesity.
Aim. The aim of the study undertaken was to analyze the scale of the problem among the elderly and the causes behind the disease.
Materials & method. The analysis used partial results from research conducted for a doctoral dissertation that embraced a group of 720 patients of the Krakow Centre for Rehabilitation and Orthopaedics. The average age of the respondents was 66.81±4.16. A BIA TANITA analyzer was used to analyze body composition of the subjects, which made it possible to determine, among other things, such values as: body weight, BMI, FAT, muscle mass content, body water content, body composition index, WHR and metabolic age. Of considerable help in determining the causes of obesity were the results of a study using a proprietary questionnaire that examined the physical activity and nutrition of the patients.
Results. The average body mass of those studied was 76.17±17.33 kgs, while the average BMI was 25.39±4.65 kg/m². Some 26.9% of the examined group were overweight and 23.1% were obese, with 48.9% of cases involving abdominal obesity and 51.1% involving buttocks and thighs. Increased content of adipose tissue (>32%) was found in 49.4% of subjects.
Conclusion. A significant degree of obesity was found among the elderly, with about half of respondents having too high a BMI. In the elderly, this situation is mainly due to a lack of physical activity and a low level of knowledge about nutrition and, consequently, their making many nutritional errors.

Key words:  seniors, overweight, obesity, physical activity