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Relationship of domain-specific quality of life with body mass index and waist circumference in a Korean elderly population

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Abstract

Background

Obesity affects health-related quality of life (QoL); however, their relationship among elderly Asians is not well known.

Aims

Relationship of domain-specific QoL with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference and the sex differences were investigated using a nationally representative sample of elderly Korean population.

Methods

In the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey phase VII (2016–2018), 3659 adults aged ≥ 65 years (1551 men and 2108 women) participated. BMI and waist circumference were classified according to Asian- and Korean-specific criteria. QoL was evaluated using the European Quality of Life Scale-Five Dimensions (EQ-5D). Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship of QoL with BMI and waist circumference.

Results

Men with BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 and ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 had a significant association with poor QoL in mobility and self-care, but no relationship was found with the other domains. Women with BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 had poor QoL in mobility and self-care, and those with BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2 had poor QoL in usual activities and pain/discomfort. There was no significant association with anxiety/depression. Both elderly men and women with abdominal obesity had a significant association with poor QoL in mobility, self-care, usual activities, and pain/discomfort; however, there was no significant relationship with waist circumference and anxiety/depression.

Conclusions

The association between QoL and BMI was different according to sex and the domains of QoL. Domain-specific QoL should be considered in the management of body weight of the elderly.

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Availability of data and materials

The dataset generated and analyzed during the current study is available from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To request the database, visit https://knhanes.cdc.go.kr/knhanes/eng/index.do. The questionnaire used in this study is not available in English. A Korean version of the questionnaire is available for download from the following website: https://knhanes.cdc.go.kr/knhanes/sub04/sub04_01_02.do?classType=2

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Funding

This work was supported by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (Grant number 2017030666).

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Author notes

  1. SeungHee Kim and Jisun Lim have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 05505, Republic of Korea

    Seung Hee Kim & Hye Soon Park

  2. Department of Family Medicine, H Plus Yangji Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jisun Lim

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jiwon Lee

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  1. Seung Hee Kim
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  2. Jisun Lim
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Contributions

HSP designed the study and critically revised the manuscript. SHK and JSL analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. JWL drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hye Soon Park.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Participants were informed of the purpose of the research and provided written informed consent when they participated in KNHANES.

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Kim, S.H., Lim, J., Lee, J. et al. Relationship of domain-specific quality of life with body mass index and waist circumference in a Korean elderly population. Aging Clin Exp Res 33, 3257–3267 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-01876-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-01876-1

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