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Public Health Nutr. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 December 03. Published in final edited form as: Public Health Nutr. 2016 December ; 19(17): 3169–3177. doi:10.1017/S1368980016001415.

Physical impairment and body weight history in postmenopausal women: The Women's Health Initiative Amal A. Wanigatunga1,2, Sandrine S. Sourdet3, Michael J. LaMonte4, Molly E. Waring5,6, Rami Nassir7, Lorena Garcia8, Jennifer W. Bea9, Rebecca A. Seguin10, Judith K. Ockene11, Gloria E. Sarto12, Marcia L. Stefanick13, Marian Limacher14, Todd M. Manini2, and Women's Health Initiative Investigators

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1Department

of Epidemiology at The University of Florida

2Department

of Aging & Geriatric Research and Institute on Aging at The University of Florida

3Internal

Medicine Service and Gerontology Clinic at Toulouse, France

4Department

of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Buffalo

5Department

of Quantitative Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts

6Department

of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Massachusetts

7Medical

Center at the University of California Davis

Author Manuscript

8Department

of Public Health Sciences at the University of California Davis

9Department

of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Arizona

10Division

of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University

11Division

of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Massachusetts

12Department 13Standford

of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin

Prevention Research Center at Stanford University

14Department

of Medicine at the University of Florida

Abstract OBJECTIVE—To examine whether weight history and weight transitions over adult lifespan contribute to physical impairment among postmenopausal women.

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DESIGN—Body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) categories were calculated among postmenopausal women who reported their weight and height at age 18. Multiple-variable logistic regression was used to determine the association between BMI at age 18 and BMI transitions over adulthood on severe physical impairment (SPI), defined as scoring < 60 on the Physical Functioning Subscale of the Random 36-Item Healthy Survey.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Amal A. Wanigatunga, MPH, Department of aging and Geriatric Research and Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida – Institute on Aging, PO Box 100107, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA. Phone: 352-294-5832; [email protected]. DISCLOSURES: A.A.W., S.S.S., R.N., L.G., J.W.B., J.K.O., R.A.S. and G.E.S. have nothing disclose.

Wanigatunga et al.

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SETTING—Participants were part of the Women's Health Initiative Observational study (WHI OS), where participants’ health were followed over time via questionnaires and clinical assessments. SUBJECTS—Postmenopausal women (n=76,016; 63.5 ± 7.3 years) RESULTS—Women with overweight (BMI=25.0-29.9) or obesity (BMI≥30) at 18 years had greater odds of SPI [odds ratio (OR) = 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.35-1.69 and 2.14, 95% CI: 1.72-2.65, respectively] than normal weight (BMI=18.5-24.9) counterparts. Transitions from normal weight to overweight/obese or to underweight (BMI