Physical impairment and body weight history in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative.

Objective: To examine whether weight history and weight transitions over adult lifespan contribute to physical impairment among postmenopausal women.

Design: BMI categories were calculated among postmenopausal women who reported their weight and height at age 18 years. Multiple-variable logistic regression was used to determine the association between BMI at age 18 years and BMI transitions over adulthood on severe physical impairment (SPI), defined as scoring <60 on the Physical Functioning subscale of the Rand thirty-six-item Short-Form Health Survey.