Evaluating the association between anthropometric parameters and successful aging in older adults

Population aging is one of the most important concerns that most countries are facing.1 Many studies have shown that aging is linked with a series of negative health-related outcomes including chronic diseases, disability, and dependency,2, 3, 4 which result in an increase in economic burden and health care costs.5,6 Thus, some efforts should be made especially in achieving successful aging (SA) to minimize the adverse effects of aging for older people.

SA is receiving increasing attention given the rapid growth of the aging population. To date, there has been no unified standard on how to define and assess SA,7 even though the concept of SA was put forward in 1961. Rowe and Kahn8 argued that SA is a multidimensional concept that contains three aspects, i.e., absence of disabilities and major diseases, sustainment of high physical and cognitive function, and maintenance of active social engagement. Zhao et al.9 conducted a study among Chinese older persons, and they employed the following five measures to assess SA: self-rated health, cognitive function, self-rated psychological status or mood, physical activity, and activities of daily life. Based on a multi-national study performed by Tyrovolas and colleagues,10 SA was assessed using ten attributes including education, financial status, body mass index (BMI), depression, physical activity, participation in social activities with family and friends, number of cardiovascular disease risk factors, number of yearly excursions, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. With a growing body of literature on SA, the definitions of SA become more comprehensive and the assessments become more diversified.7 Therefore, it is important for researchers to arrive at an agreement on the most appropriate measure of SA.

Some anthropometric parameters may affect SA. The modern lifestyle that featured low physical activity, high-calorie and high-fat diets can easily result in weight gain and changes in body shapes.11,12 Although there have been many studies on the association between obesity and SA, the findings were not consistent across studies. For instance, Singh-Manoux et al.13 reported that adults with obesity as assessed by BMI have lower odds of SA than those with normal body weight; while Luo and colleagues14 demonstrated that older men with obesity as assessed by BMI and waist circumference have higher rates of SA compared with normal weight counterparties. To the best of our knowledge, in addition to anthropometric parameters including BMI and waist circumference, there are few studies on the relationship between SA and other anthropometric parameters such as hip circumference and calf circumference.

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between SA and anthropometric parameters including BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and calf circumference in Chinese older adults, using data from 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS 2018). It was hypothesized that older adults with greater BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, or calf circumference have a lower probability of achieving SA.

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