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Public health
Original research
Weight perceptions in older adults: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
  1. Sarah E Jackson1,
  2. Lee Smith2,
  3. Andrew Steptoe1
  1. 1 Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK
  2. 2 Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University–Cambridge Campus, Cambridge, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sarah E Jackson; s.e.jackson{at}ucl.ac.uk

Abstract

Objectives To explore weight perceptions in a large, nationally representative sample of older adults, and the extent to which they differ according to age and perceived health status.

Setting England.

Participants 5240 men and women (≥50 years old) participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2016/2017).

Main outcome measures Weight perception was self-reported as too heavy, too light or about right.

Results The majority of older adults endorsed a weight perception that matched their (objectively measured) body mass index (BMI) classification. However, 1 in 10 (9.9%) older adults classified by BMI as normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) felt too light, with women at the upper end of the older age spectrum (OR=1.04, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.09), and men (OR=3.70, 95% CI 1.88 to 7.28) and women (OR=2.61, 95% CI 1.27 to 5.35) in poorer health more likely to do so. Almost half (44.8%) of older adults classified as overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) and 1 in 10 (10.3%) classified as obese (≥30 kg/m2) felt about the right weight, with this observed more frequently among men and women at the upper end of the older age spectrum (OR range 1.04–1.06).

Conclusion Older adults’ perceptions of their own weight generally correspond with traditional BMI cut-offs for normal weight, overweight and obesity. However, a substantial minority ‘underestimate’ their weight status, with those at the upper end of the age spectrum and those in poorer health more likely to do so.

  • geriatric medicine
  • public health
  • epidemiology
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033773

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors SEJ analysed the data and drafted the manuscript. LS and AS provided critical revisions and approved the final manuscript. All researchers listed as authors are independent from the funders and all final decisions about the research were taken by the investigators and were unrestricted. All authors had full access to all of the data (including statistical reports and tables) in the study and can take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

    • Funding This work was supported by Cancer Research UK (C1417/A22962) and the ESRC (ES/R005990/1).

    • Disclaimer The funders had no final role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data availability statement Data are available in a public, open access repository. The raw ELSA data are available from the UK Data Service.