Anthropometry of two contrasting populations of Thai elderly living in a rural setting

This study presents anthropometric data on 192 elderly males and 342 elderly females from two contrasting population settings in rural Thailand. Sixty per cent of the subjects lived in with relatives and 40% in a residential home. The elderly population in the present study had BMI values of 21 kg/m2 for men and 22–23 kg/m2 for women. Due to different age distributions in the two groups studied, the anthropometric values were adjusted for age. There was a negative correlation between age and weight for men and women at both sites. Both males and females were shorter with smaller armspan in the residential home. There were significant differences in the distribution of adipose tissue, after adjustment for age, between the two communities. Men in the residential home had larger waist circumference, triceps and biceps skinfold thicknesses but smaller subscapular skinfold thicknesses than the men in the rural community. Women in the residential home were heavier with larger biceps and triceps skinfold thicknesses and smaller arm circumferences than the women in the rural community. The elderly in the residential home had a general reduction in body fat with age, unlike the elderly in the rural community who showed a decrease in mainly peripheral fat. The likely impact of lifestyle and feeding practices in the two sites on body composition is also discussed.