Infuence of waist circumference on elderly women's functional performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare physical performance of elderly women according to their waist circumference (WC). Forty-eight elderly women were divided into group 1, with WC>88 cm, and group 2, with WC<88 cm. Physical function was assessed by means of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and by the modified physical performance test (MPPT), non-dependent on physical fitness. Group 1 mean body mass and body mass index measures were statistically higher (p<0.05) than group 2's; group 1 also walked significantly shorter mean distances than group 2 (p<0.05), and scored lower at the MPPT (p<0.05). Data thus show that elderly women with over 88 cm waist circumference had poor performance at physical function tests, suggesting that the presence of visceral obesity may contribute to functional decline and further impairment among elderly women.