Author(s): KLAUS, B., ROSENBLUM, T., LEUNG, W., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA, Country: UNITED STATES, Abstract-ID: 462

INTRODUCTION:
People who are overweight or obese (OW/OB) often demonstrate greater difficulty in completing activities of daily living (ADL), such as dressing or bathing.1 Resistance training (RT) has shown to improved performance of ADL, but there is limited large-scale evidence supporting this relationship in OW/OB populations.2 The purpose of this study is to examine the association between RT and ADL performance among OW/OB people using population level data.
METHODS:
Data from the 2022–2024 US National Health Interview Survey were used. Participants were classified into different groups according to body mass index (BMI): healthy weight, overweight, and obese. Participants self-reported their level of difficulty performing ADL, and were categorized as having no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or unable to do. Participants also reported their frequency of RT/week. Adjusted ordinal logistic regression with survey analysis were performed separately for each BMI category.
RESULTS:
A total of 54,701 adults were included in the analysis. Of those, 31.75% were healthy weight, 34.20% were overweight, and 34.05% were obese. The average frequency of RT across all participants was 1.35 times/week, with significant differences among the three groups (F = 369.32, p < .01). Healthy-weight participants reported engaging in RT most frequently. Over 90% of respondents indicated no difficulty performing ADL. However, 0.66% of healthy-weight, 0.60% of overweight, and 0.95% of obese participants reported experiencing substantial difficulty performing ADL. There was differences in reported ADL difficulty between BMI groups (F = 10.73, p < .01). Full-sample analyses indicated with each additional RT session per week was associated with a 13% lower likelihood of reporting greater ADL difficulty (OR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.83, 0.90]). Stratified results found that each extra RT session/week corresponded to a 16% decrease in the odds of higher ADL difficulty among healthy-weight adults (OR = 0.84, 95% CI [0.77, 0.91]), an 11% decrease in those overweight (OR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.82, 0.96]), and a 9% decrease among those with obesity (OR = 0.91, 95% CI [0.85, 0.97]).
CONCLUSION:
There are positive benefits in engaging in RT, particularly for ADL, regardless of obesity categories. Despite the benefits of RT, many adults were not engaging in the RT. Therefore, targeted interventions are needed to promote the participation of RT.

1 Backholer, K., Wong, E., Freak‐Poli, R., Walls, H. L., & Peeters, A. (2012). Increasing body weight and risk of limitations in activities of daily living: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obesity Reviews, 13(5), 456–468.
2 Garuffi, M., Costa, J. L. R., Hernández, S. S. S., Vital, T. M., Stein, A. M., Santos, J. G. D., & Stella, F. (2013). Effects of resistance training on the performance of activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 13(2), 322–328.