Relation of anthropometry to CVD risk factors in young obese women

Obesity at an early age is thought to have a greater influence on cardiovascular disease than late onset obesity. The excess body fat associated with obesity is considered a risk factor for many chronic diseases and predisposes to premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). The main objective of the study was to know the correlation of obesity as determined by anthropometry (height, weight, triceps skinfold thickness, hip and waist circumference) to altered blood lipid levels, glucose, fibrinogen and Blood Pressure (BP) in nullliparous women of 18-26 years. Twenty five nulliparous women with a Body Mass Index (BMI) >25 Kg/m² were selected for the study. Control group included 25 nulliparous women of the same age group with BMI < 25 Kg/m². A significant increase in waist circumference and skinfold thickness was observed in the obese subjects. Biochemical parameters estimated showed a significant decrease in High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and increase in Total cholesterol / High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) ratio in obese subjects. A positive correlation of Body Mass Index (BMI) with waist circumference (WC) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was observed. Conversely BMI correlated negatively with HDL-C and triglycerides (TG). The study shows that simple anthropometric data like BMI and waist circumference may be used for screening obese individuals to detect early risk of CVD.