Obesity and Midlife Performance: A Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of Women in the Menarche‐To‐PreMenopause Study
- 1Australian Women and Girls' Health Research Centre, School of Public Health The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
Abstract
Background: The interplay between obesity and physical performance in women is poorly understood, especially before the fifties.
Objective: To assess associations between weight gain from early to mid‐adulthood and midlife performance‐based physical function.
Methods: 499 women from the Menarche‐to‐PreMenopause Study completed handgrip strength, chair rise, and standing balance tests at age 41–48. The lowest tertile was defined as the ‘worse performance’ group. Weight and height were self‐reported across eight surveys, from ages 18–23 to 40–45, and used to determine body mass index (BMI) trajectories using group‐based trajectory modelling, as well as to estimate annual weight gain percentages. Other obesity indicators included BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) measured cross‐sectionally at age 41–48.
Results: Two BMI trajectories were identified: Normal‐Increasing (75%) and High‐Increasing (25%). The High‐Increasing BMI trajectory showed approximately 40% higher prevalence of worse chair‐rise and standing‐balance performances compared to the Normal‐Increasing group (95% CI: 9%–84%, p = 0.01; and 10%–84%, p = 0.008). Higher annual weight gain percentage showed a prevalence ratio (PR) 1.21 times higher for worse standing balance performance (95% CI: 1.06–1.38, p = 0.004). Midlife obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), high‐risk WC (≥ 80 cm) and WHR (≥ 0.8) were also associated with a higher prevalence of worse performance on the chair rise and standing balance tests, with PRs from 1.41 to 1.55. No consistent evidence was found for handgrip strength.
Conclusions: Weight gain from early to mid‐adulthood was associated with worse performance on the chair rise and standing balance tests in midlife, highlighting the potential of early weight‐control strategies to preserve midlife performance.
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BibTeX
@article{ribeiro2026obesity,
title = {{Obesity and Midlife Performance: A Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of Women in the Menarche‐To‐PreMenopause Study}},
author = {Leticia W. Ribeiro and Jenny Doust and Gregore I. Mielke and Gita D. Mishra},
journal = {Diabetes, Obesity \& Metabolism},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/dom.71349},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.71349},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Obesity and Midlife Performance: A Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of Women in the Menarche‐To‐PreMenopause Study
AU - Leticia W. Ribeiro
AU - Jenny Doust
AU - Gregore I. Mielke
AU - Gita D. Mishra
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
JO - Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism
DO - 10.1111/dom.71349
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.71349
AB - Background: The interplay between obesity and physical performance in women is poorly understood, especially before the fifties. Objective: To assess associations between weight gain from early to mid‐adulthood and midlife performance‐based physical function. Methods: 499 women from the Menarche‐to‐PreMenopause Study completed handgrip strength, chair rise, and standing balance tests at age 41–48. The lowest tertile was defined as the ‘worse performance’ group. Weight and height were self‐reported across eight surveys, from ages 18–23 to 40–45, and used to determine body mass index (BMI) trajectories using group‐based trajectory modelling, as well as to estimate annual weight gain percentages. Other obesity indicators included BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) measured cross‐sectionally at age 41–48. Results: Two BMI trajectories were identified: Normal‐Increasing (75%) and High‐Increasing (25%). The High‐Increasing BMI trajectory showed approximately 40% higher prevalence of worse chair‐rise and standing‐balance performances compared to the Normal‐Increasing group (95% CI: 9%–84%, p = 0.01; and 10%–84%, p = 0.008). Higher annual weight gain percentage showed a prevalence ratio (PR) 1.21 times higher for worse standing balance performance (95% CI: 1.06–1.38, p = 0.004). Midlife obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), high‐risk WC (≥ 80 cm) and WHR (≥ 0.8) were also associated with a higher prevalence of worse performance on the chair rise and standing balance tests, with PRs from 1.41 to 1.55. No consistent evidence was found for handgrip strength. Conclusions: Weight gain from early to mid‐adulthood was associated with worse performance on the chair rise and standing balance tests in midlife, highlighting the potential of early weight‐control strategies to preserve midlife performance.
SN - 1462-8902
SN - 1463-1326
ER -