Central obesity and elevated blood pressure in middle life are associated with physical and cognitive impairment in later life: A retrospective design with repeated measures

[[abstract]]Background and aims: Physical and cognitive function decline indicates the prestage of disability and is associated with mortality among older adults. We investigated the association of metabolic disorders in midlife with physical and cognitive function decline in later life in a retrospective cohort. Material and methods: A total of 618 older adults aged ≥60 years in wave-6 (2014–2017) were enrolled in the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Two-Township Study to evaluate physical (hand grip strength and 4-m walking speed) and cognitive function (Mine–Mental State Examination [MMSE] score). Repeated metabolic disorder measures in wave-2, wave-3, and wave-5 were obtained to identify three trajectory pattern groups according to each metabolic disorder through group-based trajectory modeling. Linear and logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the association of metabolic disorders in middle life with physical and cognitive function decline in later life. Results: The prevalence rates of a weak hand grip (<28 kg for men and <18 kg for women), slow walking speed (<0.8 m/s), and poor cognitive function (MMSE <25) were 24.43 %, 16.83 % and 10.5 %, respectively, among the older adults. In the retrospective cohort with 15-year follow-up, those with a waist circumference of ≥95 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women in middle life exhibited a significantly weak hand grip (odds ratio: 2.78 [95 % confidence interval: 1.26, 6.11]) and slow walking speed (2.26 [1.15, 4.43]) in later life compared with those with a smaller waist circumference (<85 cm for men and