Evaluating consistency of anthropomorphic measurements in women with a history of gestational diabetes

Objective

Determination of waist circumference is now being recommended as a routine office measurement to identify women with metabolic syndrome and to monitor clinical response to therapeutic interventions. As such, the accuracy of measurement is important. In this study, we tested accuracy of a series of anthropomorphic measurements by looking for internal consistencies between them and by comparing changes in circumference to changes in weight.

Methods

We evaluated the fluctuations in anthropomorphic measurements performed by the same group of examiners on gestational diabetics being followed during the postpartum period.

Results

One-hundred sixty-six patients were identified for the study who contributed a total of 502 changes in each of the variables over time. Comparisons of different waist measurements found significant changes in 35% of cases. As many as 40.4% of women had at least one episode of significant discordance when weight changed measurably in one direction but circumference changed in the opposite direction, and 41.6% of women had at least one measurement where a circumference changed significantly, but the weight did not. The frequency of these discordances was not different between obese versus nonobese women.

Conclusions

The inconsistencies found in this real-world experience suggest that the clinical significance of the anthropomorphic measurements may be limited and must be considered in the context of the patient's weight and/or body mass index.

Keywords: Anthropomorphic measurements, Waist circumference, Hip circumference, Metabolic syndrome