Overweight negatively influences functional capacity of older people in daily activities

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate nutritional status, health conditions, and their impact on the functional capacity of aging adults in a community center in Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, population-based study with 47 participants of both sexes, aged 60-96 years. Functional capacity was defined by the basic and instrumental activities of daily living, operationalized by the Katz index and the Lawton and Brody scale. A sociodemographic questionnaire and two 24-hour reminders were used to evaluate food consumption; hand grip strength and nutritional status were also evaluated. A structural equation model was used to analyze the relationship and associations between variables. RESULTS: The sample showed good functional capacity for the basic activities of daily living, but there was a high frequency of losses in instrumental activities, especially for tasks such as managing finances, cooking, cleaning and performing small domestic repairs. Low functional capacity is in agreement with the low hand grip strength found. Most participants were classified as eutrophic (51.06%). When applying the structural equation model, a standardized coefficient of 0.45 was obtained; indicating a mean and significant effect (p = 0.02) of body mass index on dependence for basic activities, with direct effect. CONCLUSION: Overweight negatively influences the functional capacity of older adults to perform basic activities of daily living.