Anthropometric characteristics of adults with type 2 diabetes and its association with glycemic control in Southwestern Nigeria

Background: Anthropometric indices are markers of obesity, a modifiable risk factor for diabetes.Objective: Assessing association between anthropometric indices and glycemic control among type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. Methods: The cross-sectional study recruited participants consecutively. Standard protocol evaluated weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and neck circumference (NC) among adults with T2DM. BMI, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-height ratio (WHtR) were derived. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (A1c) were gleaned from medical records. Descriptive and inferential analyses were calculated. P ≤0.05 Results: Study involved 210 T2DM Nigerians. Mean age was 59.7 years. Majority (68%) were overweight/obese. Significant differences existed in anthropometric indices between men and women (p=0.001), except for weight and WHR. Among overweight/obese participants, men have significantly higher values of NC and WHR, while HC and WHtR were higher in women. Strongest correlation was between WHtR and WC (r=0.903, CI=0.867 – 0.929, p=0001 and r=0.925, CI=0.876 – 0.956, p=0.001) among women and men, respectively. Using FBG and A1c, 50% and 43%, respectively, achieved good glycemic control. Conclusion: Over two-thirds were overweight/obese. Neither FBG nor A1c markers of glycemic control show significant association with anthropometric indices. Routine weight management should be incorporated into management of T2DM. Keywords: Anthropometric indices; obesity; glycemic control; type 2 diabetes; Nigeria