Obesity defining criteria, and association with cardiovascular disease risk factors among people living with HIV in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Obesity is linked to non-communicable conditions. We looked at obesity using four definable
criteria and their relationship to biochemical and inflammatory indicators of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in
people living with HIV (PLHIV).
Methodology: This cross-sectional study involved 140 randomly selected HIV-infected patients attending HIV
clinics at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Faith Alive Foundation in Jos, Nigeria. Anthropometric
measurements such as height, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference were taken to identify those with
obesity. Fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), and HIV-related markers were
evaluated.
Result: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 42.5 (8.8) years, and the majority (71.4%) were females. The
prevalence of Obesity based on Body-Mass-Index (BMI), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Adult
Treatment Panel (ATP), and Waist-Hip-Ratio (WHR) criteria were 18.6%, 50.7% 34.3%, and 45.7% respectively.
Obesity concordance among the criteria for obesity was highest between IDF and ATP (Kappa= 0.673, p<0.001);
and least between BMI vs WHR (Kappa= 0.124, p<0.073). Only 9.3% had obesity by all 4 criteria. BMI was
independently associated with hypertension but not glycaemic status nor dyslipidaemia while Obesity by WHR
was significantly associated with hypertension and dyslipidaemia, after adjusting for age and sex. There was no
significant association between Obesity by all the criteria and HIV-related parameters such as duration of HIV
infection, Antiretroviral (ARV) use, and CD4 counts (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Our study urges a unified assessment of obesity and a more prominent use of parameters of central
obesity, for assessing cardiovascular risk in PLHIV