DIABETES IN URBAN AFRICAN-AMERICANS - XII - ANTHROPOMETRY FOR ASSESSING MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL OUTPATIENTS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE-2 DIABETES

Objective: Abdominal obesity is associated with insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk factors, but there has been little information pu blished to advance the use of abdominal anthropometry in the care of d iabetic patients. Research Methods and Procedures: A cross-sectional s urvey of municipal hospital outpatients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (73 men and 142 women of whom 89% were African Americans). A ge-adjusted linear regression was used to compare the supine sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), supine waist circumference, four anthropomet ric ratios, and the body mass index (kg/m(2)) for their ability to pre dict serum fasting C-peptide and lipid levels. Results: The best predi ctor of log-transformed C-peptide was SAD/height (p<0.0001 for men; p= 0.0003 for women). SAD/thigh circumference was the best predictor of l og-transformed triglycerides for men (p = 0.002) and of total choleste rol/HDL cholesterol for women (p = 0.043). The body mass index was les s able to predict C-peptide, HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol than was SAD/height or SAD/thigh circumference or waist c ircumference/height. Discussion: Anthropometric indices of abdominal o besity appear to be correlated with insulin production and lipid risk factors among municipal-hospital, type 2 diabetic patients much as the y are in other studied populations. Since anthropometric data are inex pensively obtained and immediately available to the practitioner, thei r utility for preliminary clinical assessment deserves to be tested in prospective outcome studies.