In this study, the authors raise an important question concerning recent studies suggesting that the obese population may have been getting “healthier” since the 1960s, as indicated by a decrease in mortality and cardiovascular risk factors. They propose that the obese population may be living longer with better controlled risk factors but paradoxically experiencing more disability. In this analysis, data from two waves of NHANES (1988-1994 and 1999-2004) were used to examine change in disability by body mass index category in 9,928 adults aged 60 years and older. Among obese individuals, the prevalence of functional impairment increased by 5.4% between the two surveys. The authors conclude that obese participants in NHANES 1999-2004 were more likely to report functional impairments than obese participants in NHANES III (1988-1994), which suggests an increasing risk of disability in the obese population. The authors make an important observation that the decline in obesity-related mortality along with the decline in the age of onset of obesity could increase the burden of disability within the obese older population.
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