Prevalence and characteristics of obesity in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus in primary care centers in Bahrain: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a complex health problem characterized by abnormal and excessive body weight. Globally, the epidemic of obesity is escalating, and today, around one-third of the world’s adult population is overweight or obese. Obesity is a risk factor and a predictor of poor outcomes of diabetes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of obesity in adults with type-2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted at five primary care centers in Bahrain. Obesity was assessed using body mass index, while glycemic control status was assessed using glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Means and standard deviation were computed for continuous variables, while categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Student’s t-test and Mann-WhitneyU test, as appropriate, were performed to determine statistical significance between two continuous variables. Chi-square or Fisher’s Exact test were used to test for statistical significance for categorical variables. RESULTS: A total of 732 participants were included; the mean age was 58.4 ± 11.3 years. Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (63.5%), followed by hyperlipidemia (51.9%). Most participants (59.8%) had HbA1c levels of more than 7%, 20.9% had HbA1c levels between 7% and 8%, and 38.9% had HbA1c levels of more than 8%. Of the cohort, 47.5% were obese and 35.0% were overweight. Obesity was significantly higher in Bahraini patients and females (P < 0.001). Lower obesity rates were observed among patients who exercised regularly (P < 0.001) and patients who followed diet control measures (P = 0.039). In addition, we found higher obesity rates were found in patients with uncontrolled diabetes (P = 0.004), hypertension (P = 0.032), and hyperlipidemia (P = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Obesity is prevalent among type-2 diabetic patients and is associated with poor glycemic outcomes. Thus, more efforts should be taken by physicians to address obesity in diabetic patients as it negatively impacts their glycemic control.