Body Mass Index Trajectories among Middle-Aged and Elderly Canadians and Associated Health Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Whether there is heterogeneity in the development of BMI from middle-age onward is still unknown. The primary aim of this study is to analyze long-term obesity and how BMI trajectories are associated with health outcomes in midlife.

METHODS: Latent Class Growth Modelling was used to capture the changes in BMI over time. In this study, 3070 individuals from the National Population Health Survey (NPHS), aged 40-55 years at baseline, were included.

RESULTS: Four BMI trajectory groups, "Normal-Stable" (N-S), "Overweight-Stable" (OV-S), "Obese I-Stable" (OB I-S), and "Obese II-Stable" (OB II-S), were identified. Men, persons of White ancestry, and individuals who had no postsecondary education had higher odds of being in the latter three groups. Moreover, members of the OV-S, OB I-S, and OB II-S groups experienced more asthma, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cognitive impairment, and reduced self-rated overall health. Individuals in the OB II-S group were at greater risk for back problems, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, and emotional issues when compared to the N-S group.

CONCLUSION: Understanding different BMI trajectories is important in order to identify people who are at the highest risk of developing comorbidities due to obesity and to establish programs to intervene appropriately.