Obesity is associated with reduced postural control in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review

Abstract

Purpose: To summarise evidence from observational studies that examined the impact of obesity on Centre of Pressure (CoP) sway during quiet standing in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: An electronic data search (last searched April 2017) was performed on six databases (MEDLine, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and LILACS). Details of the study design, participants’ characteristics, obesity classification criteria, postural control conditions, CoP sway parameters and risk of bias were extracted by two independent reviewers.

Results: Of 265 studies reviewed, four met the inclusion criteria and were appraised. Common to all the included studies was a negative effect of obesity on CoP sway parameters, especially at anteroposterior and mediolateral ranges. Of note, these findings were observed in a wide variety of quiet stance conditions, with significance more evident when vision was restricted. The risk of bias revealed that most studies’ samples were not representative of the entire population.

Conclusions: The present systematic review suggests that obesity is associated with reduced static postural control in community-dwelling older adults. However, due to the risk of bias and the large variability of protocols used to measure CoP sway, the evidence remains inconclusive. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the findings.

Keywords:

• Obesity
• centre of pressure
• postural balance
• falls
• aging

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.