Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of overweight/obesity and the course of
the body mass index (BMI) in persons with spinal cord injury during and after
inpatient rehabilitation. DESIGN: Multi-centre longitudinal study. SUBJECTS: A
total of 184 persons with spinal cord injury. METHODS:
BMI was determined at the
start of active rehabilitation, 3 months later, at discharge, and 1, 2 and 5
years after discharge. RESULTS: The percentage of persons who were
overweight/obese (BMI >/= 22 kg/m2) increased over the years from 56% to 75%. The
absolute BMI did not significantly increase during rehabilitation, but showed a
significant increase the year after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation (p <
0.001). From examining the personal or lesion characteristics, age was the only
factor that was related to the absolute BMI. BMI increased by 1 kg/m2 for each
10-year increase in age. Men, persons with paraplegia and older people had more
chance of being overweight/obese compared with women, persons with tetraplegia
and younger people. CONCLUSION: The BMI of people with spinal cord injuries
gradually increases during and after inpatient rehabilitation, with significant
increases in the first year after discharge. It is recommended that emphasis is
placed on weight-management protocols (diet and exercise) to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Langue : ANGLAIS