Articles
The Journal on Active Aging brings articles of value to professionals dedicated to older-adult quality of life. Content sweeps across the active-aging landscape to focus on education and practice. Find articles of interest by searching the article archives in three ways: Enter a keyword in the articles search bar; click on search by topic; or type a keyword or phrase in the general search bar at the top of the page.
Topic- Weight management
Nutrition and obesity in older adults by Jenifer Milner
“Some 15 million older adults—people over the age of 51—are obese,” states Georgetown University’s Center on an Aging Society. “This represents nearly one in four older adults.” In fact, the greatest prevalence of obesity is in the 51–64 age group, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity can reduce function, affect quality of life, and threaten independence. This condition can also increase the likelihood of health problems.
moreWeight management
The obesity message: marketing physical activity to large older adults by Jenifer Milner
Along with genetic and environmental factors, personal behavior influences obesity. Two health-promoting behaviors widely known to help people manage their weight include eating a nutritious diet and being physically active. Yet “[t]here is no evidence that older Americans are, as a group, making much progress in improving their diets or controlling their weight,” notes a 2002 AARP research report. “Less than one-third [of individuals ages 50 and older] are eating the recommended portions of fruits and vegetables, less than half are exercising or trying to increase their level of physical activity, and less than 20 percent are trying to lose weight by combining diet with increased physical activity.”
moreWeight management
Strategies to support healthy weight management by Ronda Gates, MS, RPH
The statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are daunting: Almost two-thirds of older Americans weigh too much. According to nutritionist Beth Reames, PhD, of the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 75% of these overweight and obese individuals fall into the 51–69 age group. Furthermore, “people ages 60 through 75 experienced the highest increase in obesity of any age group in the US” from 1984 to 2000, adds CDC epidemiologist Cynthia Ogden.
moreWeight management
Fitness at large: physical activity programs for obese older adults by Heather O. Chambliss, PhD, and Steven N. Blair, PED
In the United States today, current health initiatives focus on the prevention and treatment of obesity, a public health problem that has gained widespread attention. Obesity is typically classified according to body mass index (BMI), a measurement that equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. A BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 indicates obesity.
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