title: Body mass index and long-term mortality in an elderly Mediterranean population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the relationship of body mass index and mortality in older adults, examining the influence of sex and cardiovascular morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen-year cohort of a population sample of 1,008 people aged 65 and over. BMI mortality hazard ratios are estimated controlling for age, sex, education, physical activity, smoking, chronic conditions, and ADL (activities of daily living) disability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline the median BMI is 26.8 (Interquartile range: 24.2-29.7 Kg/m(2)). Findings show that during 16 years there were 672 deaths. The U-shaped curve of the mortality hazard by BMI is wide. The minimum mortality occur at BMI = 30.5 Kg/m(2). Findings show that men had lower mortality risk with increasing BMI and that cardiovascular disease was associated with high mortality in the low-BMI category.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Underweight is a risk factor for mortality among elderly people, whereas overweight and mild obesity are associated with the lowest mortality particularly among men and those with cardiovascular morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. maria.victoria.zunzunegui@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Zunzunegui
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Jose Manuel Ribera
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Casado
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otero
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019083:Mediterranean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*