Body mass index and nutrition-related risk among older people

Justyna Nowak; Marzena Jabczyk; Michał Skrzypek; Bartosz Hudzik; Barbara Zubelewicz-Szkodzińska

doi:10.1530/endoabs.110.EP902

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Endocrine Abstracts (2025) 110 EP902 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.110.EP902

ECEESPE2025 ePoster Presentations Metabolism, Nutrition and Obesity (164 abstracts)

Body mass index and nutrition-related risk among older people

Justyna Nowak ¹ , Marzena Jabczyk ² , Michał Skrzypek ³ , Bartosz Hudzik ^1,4 & Barbara Zubelewicz-Szkodzińska ^2,5

Author affiliations

¹Department of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Department of Metabolic Disease Prevention, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Bytom, Poland, Bytom, Poland; ²Department of Nutrition-Related Disease Prevention, Department of Metabolic Disease Prevention, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Bytom, Poland, Bytom, Poland; ³Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Bytom, Poland, Bytom, Poland; ⁴Third Department of Cardiology, Silesian Center for Heart Disease, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland, Zabrze, Poland; ⁵Department of Endocrinology, District Hospital, Piekary Slaskie, Poland, Piekary Slaskie, Poland.

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Introduction: BMI is a widely used indicator for assessing body weight in relation to height, commonly applied to evaluate the nutritional status of populations. The GNRI, a nutrition-related risk index, is specifically designed to identify elderly patients at risk of malnutrition-related complications and mortality.

Aim: This study aimed to compare BMI distributions based on the classification ranges defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Committee on Diet and Health (CDH) and to evaluate their correlation with nutrition-related risk assessed through the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) in older adults.

Material and Methods: The study included 185 patients hospitalized in a geriatric ward. Weight and height measurements were taken in the morning on the first day of admission for all participants using standardized methods and a validated scale. The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) was calculated to evaluate nutrition-related risk. The study group was divided into two groups: no nutrition-related risk group (GNRI > 98.0) and nutrition-related risk group (GNRI ≤ 98.0).

Results: 137 individuals (74.1%) were categorized as having no nutrition-related risk. In the No Nutrition-Related Risk Group, the median BMI was 28.5 kg/m² (26.4-31.9 kg/m²). In contrast, the Nutrition-Related Risk Group had a significantly (P <0.0001) lower median BMI of 22.8 kg/m² (20.7-24 kg/m²). According to the CDH BMI criteria, 75.0% of participants classified as underweight were identified as having a nutrition-related risk, compared to only 6.3% under the WHO BMI criteria. Among patients with normal weight based on WHO criteria, 81.3% were classified as being at nutrition-related risk, whereas this applied to only 22.9% of those with normal weight under CDH criteria. In the excess body weight group, 12.5% diagnosed using WHO BMI criteria were found to be at nutrition-related risk, compared to just 2.1% when using CDH criteria.

Conclusion: This study highlights notable differences between the BMI classification systems recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Committee on Diet and Health (CDH) when applied to the elderly population. Consequently, it is crucial to create specific guidelines for this age group, especially for interpreting BMI, to ensure more precise health assessments and enhance care for older adults.