Predictive Power of Body Visceral Adiposity Index, Body Adiposity Index and Body Mass Index for Type 2 Diabetes in Qatari Population

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has increased recently in Qatar. Body mass index (BMI) is a predictor of T2D in many populations. However, BMI is based on height and weight measurements and not on body adiposity. Therefore, the utility of BMI for predicting the risk of T2D has been questioned, and visceral adiposity (VAI) appears to be a better predictor of T2D. ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to assess the relative effectiveness of visceral adiposity index (VAI) and body adiposity index (BAI), in comparison with body mass index (BMI), for T2D among Qatari adults. Methodology: A random sample of 1103 adult Qatari nationals over 20 years old were included in this study; this data was obtained from the Qatar National Biobank. We performed a multivariate logistic regression to examine the association between VAI, BAI, BMI, and T2D, and computed zscores for VAI, BAI and BMI. Result: VAI z-scores showed the strongest association with the risk of T2D (OR, 1.44; 95% CI: 1.24-1.68) compared with the z-scores for BAI (OR, 1.15; 95% CI: 0.93-1.43) and BMI (OR, 1.33; 95% CI: 1.11-1.59). Subgroup analyses indicated that the association was stronger between VAI and T2D in Qatari women than in men. Conclusion: VAI was a strong and independent predictor of T2D among the Qatari adult population. Therefore, VAI could be a useful tool for predicting the risk of T2D among Qatari adults