Women who are above 60 years of age and have a body mass index of above 30 will be known as obese and this may add to their woes more, apart from other health problems, as researchers have been able to relate obesity in elderly women to heightened risk of falling and hurting themselves, and other physiological vulnerabilities.
Frailty is a condition that is associated with increased risk from falls, increased inability to be independent in attending to all personal needs, and risk of decreasing mortality along with lowering of general health leading to a varied number of diseases. The condition is very common in people suffering from chronic disease and elderly populations. Some of the symptoms pf being frail are slowness of movements, physical weakness and low level of activities done during the day.Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School who had researched on the subject, had said in their reports that overweight is a risk factor for increasing the condition of frailty in this population, especially in women in the age group of 70 to 79.
The research report also points out that other than obesity, the condition of frailty is also associated with diabetes, heart failures, peripheral vascular occlusive disease and osteoarthritis.
Reference: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, July 2005
