The association between body composition and quality of life among elderly Italians

Objective This study aimed to assess the body composition and quality of life in elderly Italian people and to value the association between these variables. Methods Height, weight, humerus breadth, circumferences, skinfolds, and hand grip strength were measured in 256 older adults (age: M: 81.1 +/- 7.3, F: 84.9 +/- 8.1 years). Body mass index, waist-hip ratio, waist-height ratio, upper-arm areas, and body composition parameters were calculated. Quality of life (QoL) was measured by WHO Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Differences between sexes were valued. A multiple regression analysis was carried out to assess the influence of nutritional status and of socio-demographic characteristics on QoL. Results The participants were in average overweight. Even if the percentage of overweight/obese subjects was high in both sexes, males presented a more centripetal fat distribution. These characteristics, joined to data regarding lower values of arm-muscle area and hand grip strength, put males at greater risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Regarding quality of life assessments, psychological domain showed the worst scores, and, marital status resulted the main explanatory variable for this domain. Conclusions Social care facilities for the elderly people require planning strategies based on health promotion criteria in order to accentuate active ageing interventions to ameliorate the quality of life of residents.