Understanding obesity in the older person: prevalence and risk factors

District nurses deal with many overweight and obese clients on their caseloads. Many of these people have various co-morbities; their weight issues are often glossed over, prioritizing more pressing clinical issues. This however is a mistake, in this article the issue of obesity in the elderly is mapped out. It starts with looking at the reasons behind the epidemic and looking at individual factors. The elderly suffer from sarcopenia as a result of ageing which leads to changes in body morphology. If not tackled early, such changes lead to considerable increases in cardiometabolic risk. Widespread increases in BMI have been shown to promote CHD, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers. Clinical depression can be a manifestation of obesity. An overview of the prevalence and non-conservative clinical management is given.