Anthropometric indicators associated with dementia in the elderly from Florianópolis - SC, Brazil: EpiFloripa Ageing Study.

Objective: To investigate the association between dementia and anthropometric indicators in the elderly from Florianópolis.

Method: This is a cross-sectional population-based survey performed with 1,197 elderly (≥ 60 years) in 2013/2014. Dementia was defined as the combined evidence of low MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) score and moderate/severe disability in the activities of daily living. The independent variables were body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), conicity index and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Logistic regression (crude and adjusted) was performed to identify associated factors.

Results: Dementia prevalence was estimated at 15.1%. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and depressive symptoms, dementia was positively associated with the upper tertiles of the BMI (OR: 2.32; CI95%: 1.26-4.25), WC (OR: 2.22; CI95%: 1.20-4.11) and WHtR (OR: 2.30; CI95%: 1.19-4.43).

Conclusion: Results have shown that both obesity and abdominal fat were associated with the outcome, suggesting that BMI, WC and WHtR should be considered in the investigation of this relationship.