Larger Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference Are Associated with Lower Mortality in Chinese Long-Term Care Facility Residents

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and all-cause mortality of Chinese residents in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Eight long-term care facilities in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred fifty-four residents aged 60 and older (median 78.4, range 60-101; 156 men, 198 women) were recruited during the study period. MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometrics and metabolic parameters were measured at baseline. Mean BMI was 21.7 +/- 4.2 kg/m(2) (range 11.6-35.3 kg/m(2), and mean WC was 82.4 +/- 10.9 cm (range 55.0-124.0 cm). Mortality data were from the Department of Health in Taiwan. RESULTS: There were 219 deaths during the 5 years of follow-up. After adjusting for age, sex, albumin, Karnofsky performance status scale, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, subjects in the highest quartile of BMI (27.3 +/- 2.8 kg/m(2)) and WC (96.7 +/- 7.4 cm) had a significantly lower mortality rate than did subjects in the lowest quartile (BMI, 16.7 +/- 1.7 kg/m(2); WC, 69.6 +/- 4.2 cm). After further stratification according to central obesity status, the subjects in the two highest BMI quartiles had a lower mortality rate than those in the lowest BMI quartile but only in the central obesity group (>= 90 cm in men or >= 80 cm in women). The adjusted relative risk for all-cause mortality in the highest versus lowest BMI quartile was 0.17 (95% confidence interval = 0.05-0.57). CONCLUSION: BMI and WC were negative predictors for all-cause mortality in older Chinese adults living in long-term care facilities. Participants with higher WC and BMI had lower all-cause mortality. J Am Geriatr Soc 58:2092-2098, 2010.