HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Reynolds, S. L. Articles by Crimmins, E. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Reynolds, S. L. Articles by Crimmins, E. M.

The Impact of Obesity on Active Life Expectancy in Older American Men and Women

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Dr. Sandra L. Reynolds, USF School of Aging Studies, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., MHC 1344, Tampa, FL 33620. E-mail: sreynold{at}cas.usf.edu

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to estimate the effect of obesity on both the length of life and length of nondisabled life for older Americans. Design and Methods: Using data from the first 3 waves of the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) survey, this article develops estimates of total, active, and disabled life expectancy for obese and nonobese older men and women. We used the Interpolation of Markov Chains (IMaCh) method to estimate the average number of years obese and nonobese older persons can expect to live with and without activity of daily living (ADL) disability. Results: Our findings indicate that obesity has little effect on life expectancy in adults aged 70 years and older. However, the obese are more likely to become disabled. This means that obese older adults live both more years and a higher proportion of their remaining lives disabled. Implications: The lack of significant differences in life expectancy by obesity status among the old suggests that obesity-related death is less of a concern than disability in this age range. Given steady increases in obesity among Americans at all ages, future disability rates may be higher than anticipated among older U.S. adults. In order to reduce disability among future cohorts of older adults, more research is needed on the causes and treatment of obesity and evaluations done on interventions to accomplish and maintain weight loss.

Key Words: ADL disability • Obesity • IMaCh • Multistate life tables

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Ying Wu, S. H. McCrone, and H. J. Lai Health Behaviors and Transitions of Physical Disability Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Research on Aging, September 1, 2008; 30(5): 572 - 591. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. K. Judge, J. Zhang, N. Tumer, C. Carter, M. J. Daniels, and P. J. Scarpace Prolonged hyperphagia with high-fat feeding contributes to exacerbated weight gain in rats with adult-onset obesity Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 2008; 295(3): R773 - R780. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. L. Reynolds, W. E. Haley, and N. Kozlenko The Impact of Depressive Symptoms and Chronic Diseases on Active Life Expectancy in Older Americans Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, May 1, 2008; 16(5): 425 - 432. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. S. Ritchie, J. L. Locher, D. L. Roth, T. McVie, P. Sawyer, and R. Allman Unintentional Weight Loss Predicts Decline in Activities of Daily Living Function and Life-Space Mobility Over 4 Years Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., January 1, 2008; 63(1): 67 - 75. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. E. Alley and V. W. Chang The Changing Relationship of Obesity and Disability, 1988-2004 JAMA, November 7, 2007; 298(17): 2020 - 2027. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. W. Gregg and J. M. Guralnik Is Disability Obesity's Price of Longevity? JAMA, November 7, 2007; 298(17): 2066 - 2067. [Full Text] [PDF]

				Ying Wu, Hai Huang, Bei Wu, S. McCrone, and H.-J. Lai Age Distribution and Risk Factors for the Onset of Severe Disability Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Functional Limitations Journal of Applied Gerontology, June 1, 2007; 26(3): 258 - 273. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Al Snih, K. J. Ottenbacher, K. S. Markides, Y.-F. Kuo, K. Eschbach, and J. S. Goodwin The Effect of Obesity on Disability vs Mortality in Older Americans Arch Intern Med, April 23, 2007; 167(8): 774 - 780. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. J. L. Bakker, R. T. Gansevoort, and D. de Zeeuw Metabolic syndrome: a fata morgana? Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., January 1, 2007; 22(1): 15 - 20. [Full Text] [PDF]