OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the association and the relative contribution of different measurements used as indicators of nutritional status and muscle strength with different stabilometric variables in a sample of elderly.
METHODS:
In this cross-sectional study and exploratory, stabilometry with the use of force platform was performed with 108 elderly women selected in two experimental conditions: eyes open and eyes closed. It was found associations between explanatory variables: age, body mass, height, body mass index, hip circumference, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, percentage of body fat, fat mass, lean body mass, corrected arm muscle area, maximum voluntary isometric strength and the stabilometric several variables: anteroposterior amplitude, cop displacement and elliptical surface area, among others.
RESULTS:
The explanatory variables associated significantly with the stabilometric variables, except height. Multiple regression analysis (forward) revealed that waist circumference and the maximum voluntary isometric strength were the variables that most influenced stabilometric variables without major significant differences between the conditions of eyes open and eyes closed. The % body fat seems not to overload the system postural control sample of this study. The variable stabilometric mediolateral standard deviation (eyes open) was the most influenced by the explanatory variables. The waist circumference was responsible for 8.8% of all variation of mediolateral standard deviation and maximum voluntary isometric strenght contributed 9.4% additionally.
CONCLUSION:
The regression analysis suggests that the centripetal distribution of body fat associated with reduced muscle strength are responsible, partly, for stabilometric changes in elderly women.
Body composition; Postural balance; Nutritional status; Muscle strenght