Relationship Between Anthropometric Variables Among Hypertensive and Type 2 Diabetes Patients Attending a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Background A myriad of discrepancies abounds as to which anthropometric measures have the best marker for assessing obesity a major risk factor for hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. This study sought to determine the strength of the relationship between the following obesity risk factors, including, Waist circumference, body mass index, and Waist Hip Ratio. Their predictive ability of obesity in these subjects were also determined. Methods A total of two hundred and one (201) male and female hypertensive (n=122) and type 2 diabetes (n=79) subjects participated in this study. Blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, blood glucose were obtained from each subject. Data were analyzed using, descriptive statistics, Spearman’s, and Pearson’s correlation. Results The mean age, weight, and height of the subjects were 53.02±12.02 years, 72.91±15.68kg, and 1.66±0.08m, respectively. In the hypertensive subject Waist Hip Ratio indicated that 71.35% were obese, Waist Circumference indicated 39.3% and Body mass Index indicated 25.4% obesity. For the subject with type 2 diabetes, Waist Hip Ratio indicated 75.9% obesity, Waist Circumference (40.5%), and Body Mass Index (22.8%). A strong positive relationship (r=0.85) was found between Waist Circumference and Body Mass Index in the hypertensive subject and a strong positive relationship (r=0.72) between WHR and BMI in the subjects with type 2 diabetes. Conclusion Overall, the study affirms that the Waist Hip Ratio is a better anthropometric measure for assessing obesity and that it predicts obesity in hypertensive and type 2 diabetes subjects better than other measures.