Defining anthropometric thresholds (mid-arm circumference and calf circumference) in older adults residing in the community: a cross-sectional analysis using data from the population representative Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI DAD)
Monica Gupta,
Mathew Varghese,
Jinkook Lee,
Joyita Banerjee,
Pranali Yogiraj Khobragade,
Parvaiz A Koul,
Lalit Sankhe,
Abhijith Rajaram Rao,
Aparajit Ballav Dey,
Minakshi Dhar,
Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty,
Manjusha Bhagwasia,
Swati Bajpai,
Aruna V Raman,
Arunanshu Talukdar,
Arvind Jain,
Chhaya Rajguru,
Debabrata Goswami,
Ganapathy Sankaralingam Shanthi,
Govind Kumar,
Sankha Shubhra Chakrabarti,
Sathyanarayana Raju Yadati,
Sharmistha Dey
Affiliations
Monica Gupta
Department of General Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, India
Mathew Varghese
Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Jinkook Lee
Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Joyita Banerjee
Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Pranali Yogiraj Khobragade
University of Southern California Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, California, USA
Parvaiz A Koul
internal and Pulmonary Medicine, Sheri Kashmir Inst Med Sci, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Lalit Sankhe
Department of Community Medicine, JJ Hospital, Mumbai, India
Abhijith Rajaram Rao
Department of Geriatric Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Aparajit Ballav Dey
Department of Geriatric Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Minakshi Dhar
Internal Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty
General Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Manjusha Bhagwasia
Department of Geriatric Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Swati Bajpai
Department of Geriatric Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Aruna V Raman
Department of Medicine, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India
Arunanshu Talukdar
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Medical College Kolkata, Kolkata, India
Arvind Jain
Dr Sampurnanand Medical College, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Chhaya Rajguru
Department of Community Medicine, JJ Hospital, Mumbai, India
Debabrata Goswami
Department of Medicine, Guwahati Medical College, Guwahati, India
Ganapathy Sankaralingam Shanthi
Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Govind Kumar
Department of Medicine, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science, Patna, Bihar, India
Sankha Shubhra Chakrabarti
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
Sathyanarayana Raju Yadati
Department of Medicine, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India
Sharmistha Dey
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Objectives To identify factors associated with malnutrition (undernutrition and overnutrition) and determine appropriate cut-off values for mid-arm circumference (MAC) and calf circumference (CC) among community-dwelling Indian older adults.Design Data from the first wave of harmonised diagnostic assessment of dementia for Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI-DAD) were used. Various sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, geriatric syndromes, childhood financial and health status were included. Anthropometric measurements included body mass index (BMI), MAC and CC.Setting Nationally representative cohort study including 36 Indian states and union territories.Participants 4096 older adults aged >60 years from LASI DAD.Outcome measures The outcome variable was BMI, categorised as low (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5–22.9 kg/m2) and high (>23 kg/m2). The cut-off values of MAC and CC were derived using ROC curve with BMI as the gold standard.Results 902 (weighted percentage 20.55%) had low BMI, 1742 (44.25%) had high BMI. Undernutrition was associated with age, wealth-quintile and impaired cognition, while overnutrition was associated with higher education, urban living and comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and chronic heart disease. For CC, the optimal lower and upper cut-offs for males were 28.1 cm and >31.5 cm, respectively, while for females, the corresponding values were 26 cm and >29 cm. Similarly, the optimal lower and upper cut-offs for MAC in males were 23.9 cm and >26.9 cm, and for females, they were 22.5 cm and >25 cm.Conclusion Our study identifies a high BMI prevalence, especially among females, individuals with higher education, urban residents and those with comorbidities. We establish gender-specific MAC and CC cut-off values with significant implications for healthcare, policy and research. Tailored interventions can address undernutrition and overnutrition in older adults, enhancing standardised nutritional assessment and well-being.