Anthropometrics: A forgotten gem in clinical assessment of obesity

BackgroundAccording to World Health Organization (WHO), United Arab Emirates (UAE) has one of the highest prevalence rates of obesity in the Middle East at 34%. There is a paralleled rise in the incidence of related metabolic conditions, particularly type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Body mass index (BMI) alone is an insufficient marker of abdominal adiposity and addition of waist circumference (WC) can help to assess the cardiometabolic risk. AimTo study the prevalence of obesity related diseases in a multidisciplinary weight management program and determine the relationship to obesity anthropometric indices. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study conducted at Mediclinic Parkview Hospital in Dubai, UAE. 308 patients have been evaluated from January 2019 until September 2019 as part of a multi-disciplinary weight management program. Key demographics, anthropometrics, and clinical data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 25 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). ResultsThree hundred and eight patients taking part in the weight management program were studied. The population was constituted of 103 (33%) males and 205 (67%) females. The mean age was 41 years ({+/-}9.6) with a median BMI of 34.5 ({+/-}6.7) and 33.7 ({+/-}7.8) for males and females respectively. Mean waist circumference was 113.4 cm ({+/-}23.3) and 103.5 cm ({+/-}16.2), fat percent was 33.7% ({+/-}11.6) and 45 ({+/-}6.8), fat mass was 41 kg ({+/-}15.2) and 41.1 ({+/-}14.1), and visceral fat was 6.5 kg ({+/-}3.2) and 3.1 ({+/-}1.8), for males and females respectively. The population was heterogeneous with 38 nationalities. BMI strongly correlated with waist circumference (male; female, r=0.67; r=0.72) and visceral fat (male; female, r=0.89; r=0.78). Further, waist circumference was significantly associated with risk of diabetes, hypertension, and NAFLD. ConclusionThe study has confirmed the high prevalence rates of obesity related diseases in a private hospital setting in a multinational cohort of obese patients. BMI and waist circumference are the most representative measures of obesity in our population and correlate with abdominal adiposity and obesity related diseases. Further studies will play a part in assessing the benefit of these measures during weight reduction interventions.