Abstract
Background: The study was conducted with an aim to estimate the prevalence of central obesity in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of central obesity in patients who have been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the past 3 months. 100 patients participated in our study, in whom waist circumference was measured as a surrogate for visceral adipose tissue by measuring at the horizontal plane above the iliac crest1. Cut-off values for waist circumference were derived from Modified NCEP:ATP III (National Cholesterol Education Programme: ATP III Control Panel) criteria.
Results: Among the 100 study participants, the maximum number of participants belonged to the age group 40-50 years (53%). 24% of participants were obese with a BMI ≥30 and 32% were overweight with a BMI of 25-29.9. 69% of participants had high waist circumference according to the modified NCEP ATP III criteria whereas 31% of the participants had a normal waist circumference. Among the 69 participants who had high waist circumference, 43(62%) were females and 26 (38%) were males.
Conclusion: There was higher prevalence of central obesity in females who were newly diagnosed diabetics. Waist circumference is a better measure of central obesity than BMI.