title: Overweight and obesity as markers for the evaluation of disease risk in older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore disease risk through the measurement of BMI scores and waist circumferences in older Mexican adults with favorable health statuses and to determine how this risk is associated with sociodemographic characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey of 2006, we created a cross-sectional design and selected 878 participants (60 years or older) who had favorable health statuses. The demographic data, health status, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and an estimation of disease risk (arterial hypertension, diabetes type 2, and metabolic syndrome) were obtained through the survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and abdominal obesity were 42.1%, 29.7%, and 80.9%, respectively. Disease risks, which were classified as least, increased, high, or very high, were 14.7%, 17.5%, 38.7%, and 29.1%, respectively. We observed that younger age has a higher risk for disease and that this decreases as age increases until it becomes minimal. After controlling for some risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and physical activity, we observed that being female, younger, and married are all factors significantly associated with a high and very high risk for disease. On the other hand, being indigenous, having a low education level, living in a rural setting are all protective factors with a minimum disease risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence rates of overweight, obesity, and abdominal obesity are high among older Mexican adults. We observed that as age increases, disease risk decreases, which also occurs with some lifestyle factors such as living in a rural setting, being indigenous, having a low education level, and being married.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Geriatría. Institutos Nacionales de Salud. Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rosas-Carrasco
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Juarez-Cedillo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Arregui
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia Pena
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vargas-Alarcon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sánchez-García
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D007197:Indians, Central American; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference