Medical Conditions and Obesity on Lower Body Function in Mexican Americans Age 75 and Older
Abstract
Lower body function was highly associated with some medical conditions and obesity. The objective of this research was to examine the effects of medical conditions and obesity on the lower body function in older Mexican-American aged 75 and over. Data from the baseline to Wave 5 (2004-2005) and Wave 6 (2007) of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (Hispanic EPESE) were used in the analyses. The Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model analyses were used for assessing the association between lower body function and the selected medical conditions (arthritis, cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, hip fracture) and obesity. Gender, age, and education among socio-demographic variables are effective with lower body function. As expected, less educated, older women have much lower body function disability. Moreover, adding medical conditions and obesity (BMI) in the regression model, subjects who have arthritis, heart attack, or more obese are likely to have much disability of lower body function. However, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and hip fracture are not effective on lower body function.
Keywords: Lower Body Function; Medical Conditions; Obesity; Older Mexican Americans
Nam S. Medical Conditions and Obesity;1(1): 1002.
Citation: Nam S. Medical Conditions and Obesity on Lower Body Function in Mexican Americans Age 75 and Older. Austin J Obes & Metab Synd. 2015;1(1): 1002.