Anthropometric measurements in the elderly population of Santiago, Chile

There are few studies on anthropometry and nutritional status in large and representative samples of elderly populations in Chile and South America. We describe age and sex differences in weight, height, body mass index, knee height, waist circumference, midarm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, arm muscle area, and calf circumference in Chilean elderly subjects.

This was a population-based, cross-sectional study. A total of 1220 elderly persons (819 women and 411 men; age range, 60-99 y) were recruited in the city of Santiago (Chile) through a probabilistic sampling procedure carried out from October to December 1999.

Men were significantly heavier and taller than women in all age groups, whereas body mass index values were significantly higher in women than in men. All anthropometric variables showed a decrease in average values with aging in men and women. The apparent negative slopes for the decline in average values of body weight with aging was of greater magnitude in women than in men (-0.42 kg/y and -0.54 kg/y in male and female subjects, respectively). However, significant age x sex interaction was detected only for triceps skinfold thickness. In women, quadratic terms for age provided a significantly better fit than did the simple linear model for the association between age and weight, body mass index, waist circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, calf circumference, or midarm circumference.

These observations indicated that body weight changes associated with aging might be more severe in Chilean women than in men, probably determining a differential pattern of lean and fat mass loss.