Underweight is an important predictor for functional impairment among the older adults in Urban West Bengal, India: A cross sectional analytical study

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence, pattern, and factors associated with functional impairment among elders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among older adults (aged ≥60 years) residing in the urban blocks of West Bengal. An interview was conducted using a structured questionnaire, which included Katz index and half-arm span to measure functional impairment and body mass index (BMI), respectively RESULTS: The mean (SD) age (in years) of 457 participants was 69.0 (7.3) years and 52% were males, 72% were graduates, 52% were obese, and 55% had hypertension. The prevalence of functional impairment was 7.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.21–10.24). The most common aid or appliance used was spectacles (93%) followed by a denture (20%). The functional impairment was more common among the oldest-old (≥85 years) (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) 8.26, 95% CI: 2.50–27.28), middle-old (75–84 years) age group (aPR 3.85, 95% CI: 1.44–10.31), underweight (BMI < 18.50 kg/m(2)) (aPR 3.60, 95% CI: 1.44–9.00), and among the individuals using walking sticks (aPR 3.47, 95% CI: 1.60–7.51) CONCLUSION: The burden of functional impairment is low among older adults in the urban area of West Bengal. Policies need to be framed at the household level to reduce the extent of disability among the oldest-old and elders who are underweight and use walking aids.