A comparative evaluation of surrogate measures of adiposity as indictors of cardiometabolic disease
This thesis contributes to the current evidence base regarding methods to detect patients with type 2 diabetes, and those at increased obesity-related cardiometabolic risk. In particular, it aimed to determine how useful surrogate measures of adiposity might be to identify high-risk patients within a clinical setting. Using a cross-sectional sample of 2,047 middle-aged men and women, the main objectives were: (1) to examine the rationale for adiposity assessment within clinical practice, and whether methods used for disease classification and anthropometric measurement procedure are important for diagnosing cardiometabolic risk and type 2 diabetes; (2) to compare adiposity variable relationships with a range of cardiometabolic disease features, biomarkers of chronic low-grade inflammation and type 2 diabetes; (3) to explore whether central adiposity indices provide additional information regarding disease and risk status, compared to general adiposity characterised by body mass index (BMI); (4) to investigate the clinical utility of a composite index using both general and central adiposity measures. The results suggest that surrogate measures of central adiposity provide information regarding disease status and cardiometabolic risk, independent of that provided by BMI, and that a composite index using both BMI and central adiposity measures may help refine body fat classification. Earlier identification of patients at increased cardiometabolic risk, and those with type 2 diabetes, could allow earlier targeted interventions to be implemented, thus reducing the incidence of related complications, premature mortality and financial costs associated with the obesity epidemic.
Obesity measurement, Cardiometabolic risk
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