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Ten-year changes in anthropometric characteristics of elderly Europeans
C P G M de Groot1, G Enzi, C Matthys
1Wageningen University, Food Technology and Nutritional Sciences, Division of Human Nutrition and Eîdemiology, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands. Lisette.degroot@staff.nutepi.wau.nl
Objective:
Assess longitudinal (10-y) changes in height, body weight and circumferences in elderly Europeans.
Design:
Longitudinal assessments including baseline measurements taken in 1988/1989 which were repeated in 1993 (follow-up) and in 1999 (Finale).
Setting:
Longitudinal data were collected in nine European research towns: Hamme/Belgium (H/B), Roskilde/Denmark (R/DK), Haguenau/France (H/F), Romans/France (R/F), Padua/Italy (P/I), Culemborg/the Netherlands (C/NL), Vila Franca de Xira/Portugal (V/P), Betanzos/Spain (B/E), Yverdon/Switzerland (Y/CH).
Subjects:
Using standardised methodologies data were collected from a random stratified sample of elderly men and women born between 1913 and 1918 including a total of 662 subjects in 1999.
Results:
On average stature had decreased by 1,5-2 cm. Mean weight changed by -2.6 kg to - 4.2 kg in only three towns. An increase of at least 5 kg of body weight had taken place in 13 % of both men and women whereas 23 % of men and 27 % women had lost at least 5 kg of their baseline weight. Such weight loss over the first 4 years of follow-up was associated with higher mortality rates in men (crude RR 2.2, p<0.0001). Serial changes in arm circumference were small but waist circumference had increased by 3-4 cm.
Conclusions:
Whilst small-to-modest average changes in height, body weight and circumferences emerged over SENECA's 10-year follow-up period, considerable gains and losses of body weight had occurred in a significant proportion of the SENECA populations, whereby early weight loss might be predictive of subsequent survival.