Abstract
Body Mass Index (BMI) use in older adults has been questioned as it does not account for the loss of height with age, overestimating weight status. We explored age-height loss adjusted BMI (BMI-A) correlation with health variables, the significance of these associations for each BMI category, and concordance between BMI and BMI-A. This is a secondary analysis of three different population studies of older adults: SABE Ecuador 2009, SABE Colombia 2015, and MHAS 2015 (total n = 30,904). BMI-A was based on expected physiological loss, adding centimeters based on patient’s age range. A descriptive analysis was performed, and concordance and correlation between models was tested. The correlation of each model divided by anthropometrical categories was tested with outcomes. Mean age was 69.8 (SD 7.59) years, 54.24% were females. BMI-A value was lower. For BMI-A the most common category was normal weight, compared to BMI where overweight was the most common. Correlation and agreement between models were good. For the general sample, all correlations were statistically significant, except for albumin. However, for the different categories, significance was reduced, and specifically in people with low weight any relationship was significant. Relying exclusively on BMI for clinical decisions in older adults may not be optimal.