The Clinical Impact of Anthropometric Indices on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Hospital Based Study

Abstract

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the leading non-communicable diseases linked to the increasing prevalence of obesity. Anthropometric measurements such as Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) and Waist-To-Height Ratio (WTHR) are usually used to determine and diagnose obesity. The study aims to determine the relationship between blood glucose levels, blood pressure control and anthropometric indices in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methodology: In this descriptive study, 140 participants with type 2 DM were recruited using a simple random sampling method. The Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain data on socio-demographic characteristics, capillary blood glucose values and anthropometric indices. The level of statistical significance was defined as p<0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Results: One hundred and forty type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending the Endocrinology clinic were recruited within the study period. Their mean age was 59.11 (±12.14) years. The mean BMI was 27.56 (±5.38) kg/m². Almost 40% of the participants were in the normal BMI category. Women had higher WTHR, WC, WHR compared to men with p values of 0.018, 0.019,0.000 respectively. The mean fasting and random blood glucose of participants were 152.37 (±50.05) mg/dL and 170.50 (±65.45) mg/dL, respectively. Eighty-six participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus had hypertension. All the 86 participants had higher WHR with uncontrolled fasting capillary blood glucose. Twenty-six participants had BMI in the overweight and obese categories with associated elevated diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the role of anthropometric indices such as WHR in glycaemic control and BMI in blood pressure management in people living with type 2 DM. Those with elevated WHR and BMI are at increased risk of suboptimal glycaemic and blood pressure control.