Meenal Dhall

Body Mass Index Relates to Blood Pressure Among Adults

Background: The blood pressure and anthropometric measurements are important for evaluating the health of children, adolescents as well as adults. Aim: The aim is to study the blood pressure and body dimensions and to find out the prevalence of overweight/obesity and hypertension among adults. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of all the people belonging to the Punjabi community, residing in Roshanara area and Jaina building in Delhi, for the past 20 years and aged 18-50 years. The men were engaged in transport business and women were mainly housewives. Results: Mean values of all the measurements, that is, height, weight, upper arm circumference, pulse rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were higher among males as compared with females, except skinfold thicknesses. Body mass index (BMI) and fat percentage was found to be higher among females as compared with males. There was a significant positive correlation between BMI, fat percentage, and blood pressure both SBP as well as DBP. Odds ratio showed that overweight/obese subjects were more likely to have hypertension than those with normal BMI. Conclusion: Prevalence of prehypertension among overweight/obese suggested an early clinical detection of prehypertension and intervention including life style modification, particularly weight management.

Ethnicity, obesity and health pattern among Indian population

Objective: To study the relationship of ethnicity with overweight/obesity, variation in adiposity levels, regional distribution of fat and its impact on cardio-respiratory health among selected ethnic groups. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 300 young adults of three ethnic groups from different geographical regions of India ranging in age from 20 to 30 years. Stature, weight, circumferences, body fat percentage, and skinfold thicknesses were measured. Obesity indices like body mass index (BMI), grand mean thickness (GMT), waist hip ratio (WHR), waist height ratio (WHtR), and conicity index (CI) were computed. Cardio-respiratory health indicators such as lung functions including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1.0), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory ratio (FER), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), breath holding time (BHT), and systolic and diastolic BP (blood pressure) were taken and associated with obesity indices. Results: General body fat deposition, assessed by BMI, GMT, and fat percentage, was found to be the highest among Delhi females and males. However, central adiposity as assessed from WHR, WHtR, and CI was found to be significantly higher among the Manipur subjects signifying a relatively more androidal pattern of fat deposition. Most of the inter-group differences for adiposity indices were significant; however, it was not so in the case of blood pressure among different ethnic groups. On the other hand, the respiratory efficiency varied significantly between different ethnic groups. Ethnicity, adiposity, and cardio-respiratory health were found to be interrelated. Conclusions: Subjects belonging to three ethnic groups showed marked differences in different body dimension, adiposity indices, and cardio-respiratory health. Central obesity has been found to be a better pointer for cardiovascular health risk. There were ethnic and gender differences with respect to adiposity measures and cardio-respiratory health indicators

Bio-Social Predictors of Hypertension Among Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

In the present study, the contribution of various biological and lifestyle factors toward progression to hypertension are examined among menopausal and postmenopausal women. A cross-sectional study among 245 women of 20 to 65 years was conducted. Besides blood pressure, fat percentage using bio-electric impedance analyzer and adiposity indices such as body mass index (BMI), waist–hip ratio (WHR), and waist–height ratio (WHtR) were taken. Mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, and multinomial logistic were used to analyze the data. Statistically significant differences (p< .001) for blood pressure among postmenopausal and premenopausal women were found. Among both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, the prehypertensive and hypertensive group showed significant differences with the normotensive women for body weight (p< .005), regional obesity, and general obesity. Low educational level, working status of women, socioeconomic status, nuclear family setup, postmenopausal status, and obesity were found to be the likely risk factors for prehypertension or hypertension among women.

Pattern of socio-economic and health aspects among TB patients and controls

BACKGROUND Socio-economic and health-related factors have a significant impact on tuberculosis (TB) incidence among population residing in resource-scare settings. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the pattern of socio-economic and health-related factors among TB patients and control in Delhi, India. METHODS The present cross-sectional study was performed among 893 TB patients (or cases) and 333 healthy disease-free controls. The data for the present study was obtained from several district TB centres in north, west and south Delhi. The collected data was edited, coded and statistical analysed with the help of SPSS 20.0 version. RESULTS Illiteracy and primary education were significant risk factors being associated with a TB. Rented housing condition had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.89) compared to owned housing condition. 3-5 individuals per room were 3 times more likely to be associated with a case of TB (95% CI: 2.49-4.41). Migrant individuals were 13 times more likely to be associated with a case of TB (95% CI: 8.77-19.78) in comparison to settled population. Daily consumption of non-vegetarian food also significantly contributed to case of TB with an OR of 3.4 (95% CI: 2.51-4.72). Loss of appetite and family TB served as significant health-related factors associated with TB risk. CONCLUSION Lower educational status, rented household, individuals per room (as a measure of overcrowding) and migratory status served as prominent risk factors for TB disease. Preference and frequency of non-vegetarian food being consumed, night sweating, weight loss, loss of appetite, earlier TB and family TB were principle health-related risk factors associated with TB disease.

Lifestyle and diabetes among Muslim population of Manipur

OBJECTIVES This study aims to find out the association of lifestyle with adiposity markers among the patients with diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS 200 diabetic participants of both sexes were enrolled in the present study. Age group of the participants ranged from 20 years to 45 years. A cross sectional study was conducted for the present study. Data was collected from Imphal East district and Thoubal district of Manipur. OBSERVATIONS The study reported maximum percentage of overweight BMI among diabetic females as compared to diabetic males. Spending long hours at work place was positively associated with body mass index among diabetic participants. CONCLUSIONS This study informs the need of physical activity for those individuals who were physically inactive and had diabetes, as increasing BMI may lead to other non-communicable diseases.

Hypertension and its correlate with general and central adiposity: A study among urban population of Delhi

AIM Study aims to assess the association of various adiposity markers with blood pressure levels. STUDY DESIGN The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in Delhi. A total of 568 (males- 250, females- 318) participants aged 20-55 years were enrolled for the study. RESULT Mean height (167.35 ± 7.59) and weight (73.76 ± 15.08) was found to be significantly higher in males. Mean values of minimum waist circumference (183.80 ± 12.24), maximum hip circumference (100.90 ± 12.811), body mass index (27.93 ± 5.76), and conicity index (1.25 ± 0.12) were found to be significantly higher in females. Correlation showed significant positive associations of body mass index (p < 0.01) and waist circumference (p < 0.01) with blood pressure in both males and females. Odds ratios showed strong association of hypertension (both SBP and DBP) with adiposity indices as measured by body mass index, waist circumference and conicity index. CONCLUSION Adiposity markers such as BMI, WC and CI could be effective predictors of hypertension.

Measuring Climacteric Symptoms: A Community based Study among Lotha Females of Nagaland

Background: The overall health and well-being of the mid-aged women has become a major public health concern around the world. Before and after the onset of menopause, women experience physical or psychological symptoms which affect the overall health leading to decrease in Quality of Life (QoL). Objective: To measure the climacteric symptoms and risk factors. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional data was collected on a sample of 202 adult females. Data was collected by multi-stratified sampling method. The subjects ranged in age from 35-60 years. Data was collected on socio-demographic aspects, health, quality of life and physiological parameters. Results: The mean and median age of the subject was 48.3±7.6 and 49 years respectively. The mean and median age of pre-menopausal females was found to be 41.2±4.6 and 41 years respectively and of post-menopausal females it was 54.2±3.5 and 54 years respectively. Among pre-menopausal females higher percentage of headache was found whereas among post-menopausal females sexual dysfunction was found to be the most prevalent symptom. Highly significant values were found for all the menopausal symptoms in clusters, sub-clusters and total Greene score among post-menopausal females. For the severity of menopausal symptoms, post-menopausal females who had low quality of life were found to be at higher risk for developing all the menopausal symptoms. Conclusion: In the present study, factors like family size, health status and age at menarche line were found to be the risk factors for menopausal symptoms. Females having low quality of life were also seen to have higher menopausal symptoms.

Behavioural Indicators as Risk of Diabetes Mellitus: A Community based Study in Manipur

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has become a major health issue all over the world. Lifestyle factors may affect the health of the patients with diabetes directly or indirectly. Family history of diabetes was given importance in various studies of this aspect of metabolic syndrome. Aim: The present study was conducted to find out the effect of lifestyle indicators and family history of diabetes among the diabetic Muslim population of Manipur. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional method was used for the study in which individuals of both sexes in the age group from 20-45 years. The respondents were taken from two districts in Manipur. Information was gathered by using a structured proforma. Results: Chi-square test showed significant p-values for stress level, family history, physical activity and Quality of Life (QoL) of the participants. All these lifestyle indicators including breakfast habit and family history of diabetes were found to be significant except quality of life on multinomial logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Lifestyle had greatly influenced on the life of the diabetic Muslim people of Manipur in which it needed to give more awareness to them.

Maternal Predictors of Newborn Somatometrics

The objective of the study was to ascertain the influence of various maternal factors like age, BMI, anthropometry, parity, and so forth on body dimensions of newborn and to discover determinants of neonatal subcutaneous fat distribution pattern. 94 Khatri and Arora new borns along with their biological mothers hailing from upper/middle socioeconomic status families were selected against several criteria: only liveborn, healthy full term babies (37–41 gestational weeks), singletons, born through vaginal delivery and for whom all data were available, for the study. Numerous biometric variables were chosen for this study: weight, stature (for mothers), birth length (for neonates), circumferences (head, chest, abdomen, hip, upper arm, and wrist), and skinfolds at different sites (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, chest, thigh anterior, and calf posterior) along with newborn’s birth weight. All LBW infants were found to be significantly associated with maternal nutritional status and age, when controlled for other factors. Chances of having an LBW infant varies with mother’s nutritional status as determined by BMI and MUAC. Fat profiling has genetic implications because fat tracking patterns have shown that, irrespective of maternal nutritional status and age, most neonate skinfolds are guided by mother’s skinfold thicknesses. We conclude that early teenage pregnancies should be discouraged so as to reduce the incidence of LBW and larger ethnic-specific studies should be taken to find determinants of subcutaneous fat pattern in neonates.