Chapter 4: Physical changes 2 - Height & weight, body image, skin, heart, lung

Height

Fairly stable until 50s

Females lose height than male (during 60s-70s Females lose 2 inch, Males lose 1 inch)

Why lose height

postural changes

spinal compression

• bone strength

• discs changes

Weight

Gains then losses across adulthood. Both sexes peak at 50 years old

Men gain more than women (Men gain around 30 lbs from 20 to peak. Women gain around <10lbs)

20s → mid 50s gains in fat, loss of lean muscle

• Reduced Exercise

• Slowed Metabolism

• Lots of calories (Food intake)

Fat accumulates in abdomen in men, and hips in women

Overweight is BMI 25, Obese is BMI 30

How BMI is not a good measure for body fat

Not a good estimate of how much fat you have

Same body fat% varies between men and women

High BMI overweight (esp if you’re muscular)

Still, it’s a good measure of diseases like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes

Weight stats

Developed countries are getting heavier

Obesity among adults, USA still the highest, Korea and Japan are at the lowest, Canada is kinda high (26%) Vancouver is one of the healthiest city in Canada, so not obesity here

Men obese > women.

We tend to get heavier as we age, but on the graph obesity declines in old age cuz those who are obese passed away!

Highest obesity at 50-64 yr

Excess body weight is associated with:

Increased number of fatal and non-fatal diseases (#1 Diabetes, #2, coronary heart disease and stroke, #3 cancer)

Effects on longevity, disability-free life years, quality-of-life, and productivity

Impact on close others

Overall burden on economy & health care systems

Body image

Person’s perceptions, thoughts and feelings about their body appearance and function

2018 plastic surgery demographic trends

Largest age group: 40–54 years old (Made up 49%) (then 55+ is 26%). Most procedures were minimally invasive (e.g., Botox, fillers).

Largest gender: Women 92%, men 8%

Largest race: White 70%

Factors influencing body image as indv. age:

Sociocultural norms: “Women should look slim, young, toned. Men should look muscular”

Gender identity (young and middle age women)

Social class (upper class)

Sexual orientation (LGBTQ)

Body image & aging study stats

Women care more abt body appearance

Men care more about body function

Concern for appearance declines as men and women age

Self-esteem is higher for men than women, but both increase as they age

Body image & depression

Men’s body function is more strongly related to depression and +/- feelings than women

Women’s appearance more strongly related to depression

Older ppl are happier with their body appearance and function (but maybe it’s survivor effect)

Dissatisfied abt body appearance: Women > men

Influence of SES on women’s appearance

Spending power

• Increases in income = greater investment into appearance “practices”

• Lower income, less imp given to appearance. Money spent on other necessary things

Time horizons

• Upper class: Focus on long term investments & inner beauty (e.g. posture, physical activity, speech, nutrition)

• Working class: Focus on short term investments in appearance (e.g. makeup, clothes, jewellery)

A means for social distinction

• Lower SES: Appearance does not impact social distinction

• Higher SES: Concern with the “art of living, quality & excellence, inner beauty” (value tasteful brands to look diff than the conformed)

Lesbian VS. straight women’s appearance

Lesbians are not as insecure abt being “fat” (70% of them still wanna lose weight), and don’t dye their grey hair as much (dye L:30%, S:70%)

Young gay men compared to straight men

Report greater feelings of body dissatisfaction

More negative body image

Engage in more disordered eating

Wanna be more muscular

Skin change

Signs of aging appear in the 30s-50s

Changes are most apparent in the exposed areas (face, hands, upper arms)

• Epidermis (most outer layer) lose their patterning

• Dermis (middle layer):

  • Less collagen → skin less regidified, less flexible

  • Less Elastin → saggy

  • Sebaceous glands (make oil) less active → drier skin

• Subcutaneous (fat layer, most bottom layer): Exacerbates the wrinkling and sagging caused by changes in the dermis

Brown pigmentation areas, moles, and blood vessels on skin

Photoaging: Skin change due to exposure to sun. So wear sunscreen

Atherosclerosis

Plaque (Fat) accumulates in arteries, limit circulation of blood.

Serious damage to blood supply → Myocardial infarction: Acute condition in which the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked → coronary (ischemic) heart disease.

Over time → risk of hypertension

Arteriosclerosis

General term for the thickening and hardening of arteries. EVERYONE exp this as a part of normal aging

Hypertension

Chronic abnormally elevated blood pressure.

Based on 2 measures

• > 140 mm Hg Systolic pressure – Blood pushes out of heart during contraction

• > 99 mm Hg Diastolic pressure – Pressure when blood is relaxed between beats

Arteries walls weakened and inflamed → accumulate even more plaques

Congestive heart failure

Heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the organs. Can → coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, hypertension, heart valves & muscle disease, infection, etc.

Heart & cerebrovascular disease risk

Developed countries and aboriginal indv

Tobacco, smoking weed, alcohol

65+

Obesity

Least exercise, unhealthy diet

Metabolic syndrome

Ppl who have cluster of symptoms associated with high-risk factors for cardiovascular and related diseases

Metabolic syndrome: Risk

Obesity

High triglycerides

Low HDL (good cholesterol) and high LDL (bad cholesterol)

Hypertension

High glucose (blood sugar)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

A group of diseases that involve obstruction of the airflow into the respiratory system

• Coughing

• Excess sputum

• Diff breathing even w easy tasks

• Smoking and air pollution

• Inhalers, machines that give O2, lung surgery to remove tissue

Chronic bronchitis

Inflammation of the bronchi (airways that lead into the lungs)

Coughing and sputum

Chronic emphysema

Permanent destruction of alveoli

Shortness of breath

More likely to develop frequent and severe infections, plugging bronchi, diff breath, disability

Smoking breakdown elastin → destroy lung tissue