Global prevalence of obesity in the older adults: A meta-analysis

Ali Asghar Khaleghi; Nader Salari; Niloofar Darvishi; Shadi Bokaee; Samira Jafari; Mahvan Hemmati; Masoud Mohammadi

doi:10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100585

Global prevalence of obesity in the older adults: A meta-analysis

Ali Asghar Khaleghi, Nader Salari, Niloofar Darvishi, Shadi Bokaee, Samira Jafari, Mahvan Hemmati, Masoud Mohammadi

CEES School of Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Obesity is a chronic and complex disease defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat and is one of the leading public health problems in developed and developing countries. Due to the importance of obesity, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of obesity in the older adults. meta-analysis. In this study, systematic review and meta-analysis of study data on the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world using keywords including: prevalence, outbreak, Body Mass Index, BMI, obesity, Elderly, aged, older adult, in Science Direct databases, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Iran Doc, Mag Iran, SID and Google Scholar search engine were extracted without time limit until August 2020. The target population under study is the world's elderly, and obesity means a BMI≥30. The Random Effects Model was used to perform the analysis and, Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software version 2.0 was used for data analysis. In review 44 studies with a total sample size of 45,745,944 prevalence of obesity in the older adults of the world; In a meta-analysis of 25.3 % (95 % CI: 21.9-29). It was found that the highest prevalence of obesity in the older adults in South America with 40.4 % (95 % CI: 12.5-76.4). In addition, continental Europe with 33.6 % (95 % confidence interval: 24.1-44.5). The meta-regression results showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world with an increasing sample size and a decreasing trend with increasing the study (P < 0.05). Given that the prevalence of obesity in the older adults is high, health policymakers must take adequate measures to increase public awareness about the risks of obesity in the older adults. [Abstract copyright: © 2025 The Author(s).]

Original language	English
Article number	100585
Number of pages	8
Journal	Public Health in Practice
Volume	9
Early online date	18 Jan 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100585
Publication status	Published - Jun 2025

Bibliographical note

This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Funding

Funding for this research was provided by the deputy of research and technology \u2013Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, (4010242), the deputy of research and technology\u2013Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences had no role in this study.

Funders	Funder number
Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences	4010242

Keywords

Older adults
Meta-analysis
Prevalence
Obesity

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100585Licence: CC BY

Bokaee2025VORFinal published version, 1.73 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Global prevalence of obesity in the older adults: A meta-analysis",

abstract = "Obesity is a chronic and complex disease defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat and is one of the leading public health problems in developed and developing countries. Due to the importance of obesity, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of obesity in the older adults. meta-analysis. In this study, systematic review and meta-analysis of study data on the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world using keywords including: prevalence, outbreak, Body Mass Index, BMI, obesity, Elderly, aged, older adult, in Science Direct databases, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Iran Doc, Mag Iran, SID and Google Scholar search engine were extracted without time limit until August 2020. The target population under study is the world's elderly, and obesity means a BMI≥30. The Random Effects Model was used to perform the analysis and, Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software version 2.0 was used for data analysis. In review 44 studies with a total sample size of 45,745,944 prevalence of obesity in the older adults of the world; In a meta-analysis of 25.3 \% (95 \% CI: 21.9-29). It was found that the highest prevalence of obesity in the older adults in South America with 40.4 \% (95 \% CI: 12.5-76.4). In addition, continental Europe with 33.6 \% (95 \% confidence interval: 24.1-44.5). The meta-regression results showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world with an increasing sample size and a decreasing trend with increasing the study (P < 0.05). Given that the prevalence of obesity in the older adults is high, health policymakers must take adequate measures to increase public awareness about the risks of obesity in the older adults. [Abstract copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Author(s).]",

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author = "Khaleghi, \{Ali Asghar\} and Nader Salari and Niloofar Darvishi and Shadi Bokaee and Samira Jafari and Mahvan Hemmati and Masoud Mohammadi",

note = "This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100585",

language = "English",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Global prevalence of obesity in the older adults

T2 - A meta-analysis

AU - Khaleghi, Ali Asghar

AU - Salari, Nader

AU - Darvishi, Niloofar

AU - Bokaee, Shadi

AU - Jafari, Samira

AU - Hemmati, Mahvan

AU - Mohammadi, Masoud

N1 - This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PY - 2025/6

Y1 - 2025/6

N2 - Obesity is a chronic and complex disease defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat and is one of the leading public health problems in developed and developing countries. Due to the importance of obesity, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of obesity in the older adults. meta-analysis. In this study, systematic review and meta-analysis of study data on the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world using keywords including: prevalence, outbreak, Body Mass Index, BMI, obesity, Elderly, aged, older adult, in Science Direct databases, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Iran Doc, Mag Iran, SID and Google Scholar search engine were extracted without time limit until August 2020. The target population under study is the world's elderly, and obesity means a BMI≥30. The Random Effects Model was used to perform the analysis and, Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software version 2.0 was used for data analysis. In review 44 studies with a total sample size of 45,745,944 prevalence of obesity in the older adults of the world; In a meta-analysis of 25.3 % (95 % CI: 21.9-29). It was found that the highest prevalence of obesity in the older adults in South America with 40.4 % (95 % CI: 12.5-76.4). In addition, continental Europe with 33.6 % (95 % confidence interval: 24.1-44.5). The meta-regression results showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world with an increasing sample size and a decreasing trend with increasing the study (P < 0.05). Given that the prevalence of obesity in the older adults is high, health policymakers must take adequate measures to increase public awareness about the risks of obesity in the older adults. [Abstract copyright: © 2025 The Author(s).]

AB - Obesity is a chronic and complex disease defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat and is one of the leading public health problems in developed and developing countries. Due to the importance of obesity, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of obesity in the older adults. meta-analysis. In this study, systematic review and meta-analysis of study data on the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world using keywords including: prevalence, outbreak, Body Mass Index, BMI, obesity, Elderly, aged, older adult, in Science Direct databases, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Iran Doc, Mag Iran, SID and Google Scholar search engine were extracted without time limit until August 2020. The target population under study is the world's elderly, and obesity means a BMI≥30. The Random Effects Model was used to perform the analysis and, Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software version 2.0 was used for data analysis. In review 44 studies with a total sample size of 45,745,944 prevalence of obesity in the older adults of the world; In a meta-analysis of 25.3 % (95 % CI: 21.9-29). It was found that the highest prevalence of obesity in the older adults in South America with 40.4 % (95 % CI: 12.5-76.4). In addition, continental Europe with 33.6 % (95 % confidence interval: 24.1-44.5). The meta-regression results showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of obesity in the older adults in the world with an increasing sample size and a decreasing trend with increasing the study (P < 0.05). Given that the prevalence of obesity in the older adults is high, health policymakers must take adequate measures to increase public awareness about the risks of obesity in the older adults. [Abstract copyright: © 2025 The Author(s).]

KW - Older adults

KW - Meta-analysis

KW - Prevalence

KW - Obesity

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U2 - 10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100585

DO - 10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100585

M3 - Article

C2 - 39902301

SN - 2666-5352

VL - 9

JO - Public Health in Practice

JF - Public Health in Practice

M1 - 100585

ER -

Global prevalence of obesity in the older adults: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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