title: Weight gain among elderly women as risk factor for disability: Health, Well-being and Aging Study (SABE Study).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between weight change and the incidence of disability in activities of daily living (ADL) among elderly women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2006, 227 women aged ≥75 years and independent in ADL were selected from SABE Study (Health, Well-being, and Aging) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The dependent variable was the report of difficulty on ≥1 ADL in 2009. Differences in weight were calculated between baseline and second interview, and converted to percentage change in relation to initial weight. A change (gain or loss) ≥5% was considered significant. A logistic regression analysis was performed including sociodemographic and health-related variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting, weight gain remained associated to disability (OR = 2.42; p = .027), whereas weigh loss lost significance (OR = 1.66; p = .384).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Weight loss is generally considered more worrisome than weight gain in elderly. However, weight loss alone was not a risk factor for disability in our study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. licorona@usp.br
authors.forename: Ligiana Pires
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Corona
authors.forename: Daniella Pires
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Tiago da Silva
authors.initials: Tda S
authors.lastname: Alexandre
authors.forename: Jair Lício Ferreira
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Yeda Aparecida de Oliveira
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Maria Lúcia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lebrão
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain