[Older women associating obesity with a negative perception of their health: a study in low-income neighborhoods in Curitiba, southern Brazil].

OBJECTIVE

The present study was aimed at analyzing the association between elderly women's perception of their nutritional status (overweight and obesity) regarding their overall health in low-income neighborhoods in Curitiba, Brazil.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 449 elderly women participating in the Idoso em Movimento program in low-income neighborhoods in Curitiba. Body weight and height were measured to calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI); 25 kg/m(2) and 30 kg/m(2) cut-off points were considered for determining weight status regarding being overweight and obese, respectively. A specific question concerning elderly health perception was used for classifying them into negative or positive health perception categories. Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests were used for data analysis in terms of descriptive statistics. Binary logistic regression was used for analyzing the association between weight status and health perception, controlling for age, economic status, marital status, years spent in formal education, occupational status and time spent on physical activity per week. A 5 % significance level was used.

RESULTS

Obesity was significantly associated with a perception of suffering negative health (p<0.05). Obese elderly women were twice as likely to have a negative perception of their health. Being overweight was not associated with a negative perception of health.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreasing obesity in obese low-income elderly is paramount for promoting better health perception in this risk group.