Relationships between anthropometric and body composition characteristics and age in Polish women over 60 as affected by their socioeconomic and health status and physical activity levels

Background: Little is known about changes in anthropometric and body composition (A&BC) characteristics during the aging process. Research indicates that body composition can be linked with socioeconomic status (SES), health status (HS), and physical activity (PA) levels. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate age-related changes in A&BC characteristics in female seniors aged 60+ in view of their SES, HS, and PA levels. Methods: The survey was conducted in November and December 2022 on a total of 661 female seniors. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain information about the participants’ socioeconomic status (chronic diseases, health status, marital status, membership in social organizations, financial status, place of residence, education). The respondents’ PA levels were assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and their A&BC characteristics were determined in a bioelectrical impedance analysis with the InBody 270 body composition analyzer. The relationships between A&BC characteristics and age were evaluated based on the values of the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Results: The mean values of Percent Body Fat (PBF), Body Mass Index (BMI), and the waist-hip ratio (WHR) were relatively high (37.2%, 28.5 kg/m(2), and 0.8, respectively) and indicative of overweight and gynoid obesity. A higher number of significant negative correlations between A&BC characteristics and age were observed in seniors with lower values of SES, HS, and PA, which points to more rapid involutional changes in this group of respondents. A segmental analysis also revealed significantly lower values of fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat mass (BFM) (both indicators were calculated in percentage and kg), in particular in the upper limbs, in women with lower SES, HS, and PA levels. Conclusion: Environmental factors, including biological, physiological, environmental, psychological, behavioral, and social factors, are significantly associated with aging in women. Age-related changes in A&BC characteristics tend to proceed more rapidly in female seniors with low values of SES and HE and insufficient PA levels.