Trends in Obesity and Abdominal Obesity in the Older Adult Population of Spain (2000–2010)

OBJECTIVE: This work examines the trend in obesity and abdominal obesity in the Spanish population aged 60 years and over during the first decade of the 21st century. METHODS: We analyze data from a representative study of the Spanish population aged 60 years and older conducted in 2000–2001 and from the Study on Nutrition and Cardiovascular Risk in Spain (ENRICA) conducted in 2008–2010. RESULTS: In men, the distribution of BMI did not vary in the period 2000–2010. In contrast, in women there was a reduction in both mean BMI – from 29.3 to 28.8 kg/m(2) – and the prevalence of obesity – from 40.8 to 36.3%. This decline was greatest in women aged 60–69 years. In men, no significant changes were observed in mean waist circumference (WC) or in the prevalence of abdominal obesity. In contrast, WC decreased by 3.6 cm and abdominal obesity prevalence by 12.7% in women. The decline was greatest in women aged 60–69 years, in whom mean WC decreased by 5.1 cm and abdominal obesity prevalence by 18.6%. CONCLUSION: These findings show that the frequency of obesity has begun to decline in Spanish women aged 60 and over. The causes of this decline are unclear.