Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The BMJ logoLink to The BMJ
. 1990 Oct 13;301(6756):835–837. doi: 10.1136/bmj.301.6756.835

Risk of disability and mortality due to overweight in a Finnish population.

A Rissanen 1, M Heliövaara 1, P Knekt 1, A Reunanen 1, A Aromaa 1, J Maatela 1
PMCID: PMC1663990  PMID: 2282420

Abstract

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the effect of overweight on premature mortality and work disability in young and middle aged Finns. DESIGN--Prospective cohort study based on data collected in the multiphasic health examinations by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland from 1966 to 1972 and follow up until 1982. SETTING--34 Communities throughout Finland. SUBJECTS--12,053 Women and 19,076 men who were employed and aged 25-64 at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Mortality and work disability pensions from all and specified causes. RESULTS--Body mass index was a weak predictor of death but a strong predictor of early work disability, which increased linearly with body mass index. After adjustment for age, geographical region, occupation, and smoking the relative risks of work disability for women and men with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 were, respectively, 2.0 (95% confidence interval 1.8 to 2.3) and 1.5 (1.3 to 1.7) when compared with those of subjects with body mass index less than 22.5 kg/m2. The increased risks were due to an excess of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases but not of mental diseases. One fourth of all disability pensions from cardiovascular and musculoskeletal causes in women and half as many in men could be attributed to overweight (body mass index greater than 25 kg/m2) alone. CONCLUSIONS--Though modest overweight has little impact on mortality it predicts severe functional impairment. A considerable proportion of work disability pensions could probably be prevented by efficient weight control.

Full text

PDF
835

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bennett W. Dietary treatments of obesity. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1987;499:250–263. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1987.tb36216.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Manson J. E., Stampfer M. J., Hennekens C. H., Willett W. C. Body weight and longevity. A reassessment. JAMA. 1987 Jan 16;257(3):353–358. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Miettinen O. S. Proportion of disease caused or prevented by a given exposure, trait or intervention. Am J Epidemiol. 1974 May;99(5):325–332. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a121617. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Millar W. J., Stephens T. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Britain, Canada, and United States. Am J Public Health. 1987 Jan;77(1):38–41. doi: 10.2105/ajph.77.1.38. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Reunanen A., Aromaa A., Pyörälä K., Punsar S., Maatela J., Knekt P. The Social Insurance Institution's coronary heart disease study. Baseline data and 5-year mortality experience. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1983;673:1–120. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Rissanen A., Heliövaara M., Knekt P., Aromaa A., Reunanen A., Maatela J. Weight and mortality in Finnish men. J Clin Epidemiol. 1989;42(8):781–789. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(89)90076-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Simopoulos A. P., Van Itallie T. B. Body weight, health, and longevity. Ann Intern Med. 1984 Feb;100(2):285–295. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-100-2-285. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Stewart A. L., Brook R. H. Effects of being overweight. Am J Public Health. 1983 Feb;73(2):171–178. doi: 10.2105/ajph.73.2.171. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Wadden T. A., Stunkard A. J. Social and psychological consequences of obesity. Ann Intern Med. 1985 Dec;103(6 ):1062–1067. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-103-6-1062. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from BMJ : British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES