Association between body mass index, multi-morbidity and activities of daily living among New Zealand nursing home older adults: A retrospective analysis of nationwide InterRAI data

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for multi-morbidity and disability among older adults in the community and acute care settings. However, nursing home residents with body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 kg/ m2 and above 25.0 kg/m2 have been understudied. We examined the prevalence of multi-morbidity and disability in activities of daily living (ADL) by BMI category and further investigated the association between BMI, multi-morbidity, and disability of ADL in a large cohort of older adults in nursing homes in New Zealand.