Correlations among body mass index, body balance and bone mineral density in elderly women

Objective: The target of this study was to assess the correlation between each two of the following variables; body mass index (BMI), body balance, and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women in order to detect the threatening factors that predispose them to fractures. Methods: Forty-eight elderly postmenopausal women contributed to this study. Their ages ranged from 50 to 55 years. The valid and objective Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was used to assess their body balance. The BMD of lumbar vertebrae was measured by the golden standard scanning method known as dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results: The obtained findings of Pearson correlation analysis revealed a substantial negative correlation between BMI and body balance with p value = 0.000 and r = -0.49 and also a significant negative correlation between BMI and BMD with p value = 0.008 and r = -0.38. In addition, there was a statistical positive correlation between body balance and BMD with P value = 0.005 and r = 0.6. Conclusions: Increasing BMI is a risk factor to a disturbed balance and a decreased BMD and this in turn increases the susceptibility of falls developing fractures in elderly females. Furthermore, increased BMD augments body balance.