Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Feb 10;11(2):e0148406.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148406. eCollection 2016.

National Economic Development Status May Affect the Association between Central Adiposity and Cognition in Older Adults

Asri Maharani  1   2 , Gindo Tampubolon  2
Affiliations

National Economic Development Status May Affect the Association between Central Adiposity and Cognition in Older Adults

Asri Maharani et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Obesity is becoming a global problem, rather than one found only in developed countries. Although recent studies have suggested a detrimental effect of obesity on cognition, studies of the relationship between obesity and cognition among older adults have been limited to developed countries. We aimed to examine the associations between central obesity, as measured by waist circumference, and cognition level in adults aged 50 years and older in England and Indonesia.

Methods: We used linear regression models to analyse these associations and multiple imputation to manage missing data. The 2006 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Wave 3 is the source of data from England, while data from Indonesia is sourced from the 2007 Indonesian Family Life Survey Wave 4.

Findings: Centrally obese respondents had lower cognition levels than non-centrally obese respondents in England. In contrast, central adiposity had a statistically significant positive association with cognition in Indonesia. Higher levels of education and higher economic status were associated with higher cognitive ability, while age was associated with lower cognition in both countries. Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and smoking behaviour, both linked to higher risk of obesity, were negatively associated with cognitive ability among older adults in England, but they had no statistically significant association with cognition among Indonesians.

Interpretation: The contradictory findings on obesity and cognition in England and Indonesia not only create a puzzle, but they may also have different policy implications in these countries. Reducing the prevalence of obesity may be the main focus in England and other developed countries to maintain older adults' cognition. However, Indonesia and other developing countries should place more emphasis on education, in addition to continued efforts to tackle the double burden of malnutrition, in order to prevent cognitive impairment among older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Episodic memory level and waist circumference between England and Indonesia.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Episodic memory level and BMI between England and Indonesia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ng M, Fleming T, Robinson M, Thomson B, Graetz N, Margono C, et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adult during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet 2014; 384: 766–781. 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60460-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Corsi DJ, Finlay JE, Subramanian SV. Global burden of double malnutrition: Has anyone seen it? PLOS One 2011; 6: e25120 10.1371/journal.pone.0025120 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kimani-Murage EWK, Muthuri SK, Oti SO, Mutua MK, van de Vijver S, Kyobutungi C. Evidence of a double burden of malnutrition in urban poor settings in Nairobi, Kenya. PLOS One 2015; 10: e0129943 10.1371/journal.pone.0129943 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hu FB. Obesity Epidemiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2008.
    1. Mokdad AH, Ford ES, Bowman BA, Dietz WH, Vinicor F, Bales VS, et al. Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and obesity-related health risk factors, 2001. The Journal of the American Medical Association 2003; 289: 76–79. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances