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Body mass index and mortality rate among Hispanic adults: a pooled analysis of multiple epidemiologic data sets

International Journal of Obesity volume 36, pages 1121–1126 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI, kg m−2) and mortality rate among Hispanic adults.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES:

Analysis of five data sets (total N=16 798) identified after searching for publicly available, prospective cohort data sets containing relevant information for at least 500 Hispanic respondents (⩾18 years at baseline), at least 5 years of mortality follow-up, and measured height and weight. Data sets included the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the Puerto Rico Heart Health Program (PRHHP), the Hispanic Established Population for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (HEPESE), the San Antonio Heart Study (SAHS) and the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging.

RESULTS:

Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusting for sex and smoking, were fit within three attained-age strata (18 to younger than 60 years, 60 to younger than 70 years, and 70 years and older). We found that underweight was associated with elevated mortality rate for all age groups in the PRHHP (hazard ratios [HRs]=1.38–1.60) and the SAHS (HRs=1.88–2.51). Overweight (HRs=0.38 and 0.84) and obesity grade 2–3 (HRs=0.75 and 0.60) associated with reduced mortality rate in the HEPESE dataset for those in the 60 to younger than 70 years, and 70 years and older attained-age strata. Weighted estimates combining the HRs across the data sets revealed a similar pattern.

CONCLUSION:

Among Hispanic adults, there was no clear evidence that overweight and obesity associate with elevated mortality rate.

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Acknowledgements

This project was partially supported by NIH Grants, R21DK077959, T32HL072757, AG12975 and DK60753. We gratefully thank the investigators who provided us with data.

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Author notes

  1. N M Pajewski

    Present address: Current Address: Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    K R Fontaine

  2. Department of Biostatistics, Section on Statistical Genetics & Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    R McCubrey, T Mehta, N M Pajewski, S S Bangalore & D B Allison

  3. Division of Biostatistics, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    S W Keith

  4. School of Community Health, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

    C J Crespo

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Correspondence to K R Fontaine.

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Competing interests

DBA has received grants, honoraria, donations, and consulting fees from numerous food, beverage, pharmaceutical companies, and other commercial, government and nonprofit entities with interests in obesity. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Fontaine, K., McCubrey, R., Mehta, T. et al. Body mass index and mortality rate among Hispanic adults: a pooled analysis of multiple epidemiologic data sets. Int J Obes 36, 1121–1126 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.194

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