Abstract:
Back ground: Many developing countries have taken measures to shift from curative to preventive medical services, and Ghana has since spearheaded a Regenerative Health and Nutrition (RHN) programme aimed at empowering lay communities to adopt healthy lifestyles through the application of anthropometric measurements. It is against this background that this work is designed to determine the correlation between some anthropometric indices as predictors of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome in a section of Ghanaian population. Methods: Anthropometric parameters; Waist circumference, hip circumference and height were measured using a non-extensible tape and WHtR, WHR, calculated. BMI was determined by weighing subject with weighing scale and dividing the weight by the height squared in meters. Blood pressure was measured using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile were determined by enzymatic methods, using Envoy® 500 reagents on BT 5000® Random Access Chemistry Analyzer. Results: Diastolic and systolic Blood Pressure and all other anthropometric parameters; waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI, WHtR, were significantly (p< 0.0001) higher in the diabetic subjects. Waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI, WHtR were significantly (p< 0.0001) higher in the female diabetics than in male diabetics.WHR and WTR were significantly and positively correlated (r=0.218**; r=0.205**) with triglycerides. Whilst WHtR was positively correlated (r=0.300**, ,r=0.299**) with LDL and TC. WHR, WHtR, WC, WTR, and BMI predicted obesity by 83.4%, 79.8%,50.9%, 31.9% 30.7% respectively. BMI and WHtR and WC were significantly (p< 0.0001) higher in the diabetics with metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: WHR and WHtR were more predictive of obesity than BMI and WTR, whilst, WC was more definitive of central obesity. In the female diabetics WC, HC, BMI, WHtR were more predictive of obesity in that order. Obesity remains the predictor of type II diabetes.
