Gender-specific associations of objective and perceived neighborhood characteristics with body mass index and waist circumference among older adults in the English longitudinal study of ageing

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether objective and perceived neighborhood characteristics are independently associated with obesity indicators among older adults and whether associations differ by gender.

METHODS: Linear regression was used to examine mutually adjusted associations of objective area-level neighborhood deprivation and perceived individual-level neighborhood disorder in 2002-2003 with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) 2 years later among 6297 community-dwelling older adults in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

RESULTS: Associations between neighborhood characteristics and obesity indicators were evident for women only. Being in the most deprived quintile of neighborhood deprivation was associated with a BMI that was 1.18 kilograms per meters squared higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.54, 1.83) and a WC that was 2.42 centimeters higher (95% CI = 0.90, 3.94) at follow-up in women after adjustment for baseline health status, socioeconomic factors, and neighborhood disorder. Neighborhood disorder was not independently associated with BMI or WC.

CONCLUSIONS: Among women, greater objective neighborhood deprivation was independently associated with higher BMI and WC after 2 years. Public efforts to reduce obesity among community-dwelling older women may benefit most from addressing objective residential characteristics, over and above subjective perceptions.