The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially in the last decades in the elderly population and, consequently, it has been considered one of the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases in the world. Compared to general obesity, central obesity, which is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the abdominal region, has shown a greater association with diabetes and all-cause mortality, in addition to being considered a risk factor for disability in the elderly, regardless of BMI. Some studies suggest that the relationship between central obesity and disability differs according to gender, however, the results are still conflicting.

To investigate the association between central obesity and mobility limitation in elderly Brazilians and to assess whether this association was modified by gender.

This is a cross-sectional, analytical, and quantitative study that used data from the PNS. This is a household-based survey proposed by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). For the present study, those aged 60 years or older were considered (n=11,177). Central obesity was defined when waist circumference (WC) was greater than 84 cm in women and 88 cm in men. Participants reported the degree of difficulty to move, being classified as no difficulty versus some difficulty. Binary logistic regression was used to investigate the association between central obesity and mobility limitation adjusted for sex, age, exercise, chronic diseases, self-reported health, and literacy. P<0.05 and a 95% confidence interval were considered.

Women were the majority, representing 55.7% of the sample and the mean age was 66.9 ± 8.07 years. Central obesity was identified in 76.7% of the participants, being more prevalent among older women (60.4%) and 25.9% reported some difficulty with mobility, with a higher prevalence of females (64.8%). Elderly people with central obesity were 1.2 times more likely to have some difficulty with mobility (OR=1.21; 95%CI: 1.08-1.36) compared to elderly people who did not have any difficulty, even after adjusting the covariates. In the analysis stratified by gender, the association between central obesity and mobility limitation was significant among women (OR=1.48; 95%CI: 1.27-1.7; however, it, lost significance among men (OR =0.93;95%CI: 0.78-1.10).

The results suggest that elderly women with central obesity are more likely to have some difficulty with mobility compared to men.

The high prevalence of central obesity in the Brazilian elderly population, especially in the female public, represents a serious public health problem. Our findings identified a subgroup of the elderly population that is more vulnerable to limited mobility associated with abdominal obesity. Therefore, implementing health actions to prevent or reduce abdominal obesity should be strongly encouraged among elderly women.