Background: High body weight variability (BWV) is associated with many metabolic and cardiovascular diseases in adults. The study was designed to explore the baseline characteristics associated with high BWV.
Methods: Using a nationally representative database from the Korean National Health Insurance system, 77,424 individuals who underwent five health examinations between 2009 and 2013 were enrolled. BWV was calculated using the body weight recorded at each examination, and the clinical and demographic characteristics associated with high BWV were investigated. High BWV was defined as the highest quartile of coefficient variation in body weight.
Results: Subjects with high BWV were younger, more commonly female, less likely to have a high income, and more likely to be a current smoker. Young people under the age of 40 years were more than twice as likely to have high BWV compared with those over 65 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.88 to 2.50). The incidence of high BWV was higher in female than in male (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.59 to 1.76). Male with the lowest income had a 1.9-fold higher risk of high BWV compared to male with the highest income (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.81 to 2.13). A high BWV in female was associated with heavy alcohol intake (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.91) and current smoking (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.67 to 2.33).
Conclusion: Young people, female, low income, and unhealthy behaviors were independently associated with high BWV. Further research is needed on the mechanisms linking high BWV to detrimental health outcomes.
Keywords: Biological variation; Body weight changes; Body-weight trajectory; individual.