Impact of obesity on disability and mortality in Brazil

Flavia Andrade, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ahmad Nazan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Maria Lebrao, Universidade de São Paulo
Yeda Duarte, Universidade de São Paulo

In the past three decades, obesity rates in Brazil tripled among men and almost doubled among women. Obesity has been associated with disability and mortality, but little is known about these associations in Brazil. We explore this gap using two waves of SABE in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Three measures of disability are included: activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and Nagi. Prevalence of ADL and Nagi was highest among obese individuals, followed by those underweight. Compared to normal weight individuals, those obese were 2.4 times (95% CI, 1.52-3.80) more develop ADL between waves and more likely to remain disabled (for all disability measures). Recovery from Nagi was lower among individuals who were underweight. Those who were underweight faced higher mortality risks than those who were normal weight. This study confirms that obesity is associated with increased disability in Brazil.