Quantitative Prediction of Body Diameter in Severely Obese Individuals

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity and severe obesity continues to increase in the developed world. Apart from obesity's strong association with a variety of health conditions, severely obese individuals (i.e. ≥300 lb [136 kg]) sometimes have difficulty with ambulation, and often cannot use regular sized clothes, furniture, and assistive devices such as walkers and wheelchairs. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between linear body measurements (anthropometry) and weight in severely obese people in order to generate equations to predict such measurements from weight alone. Various body size measurements were obtained from three independent data sets (74 severely obese individuals evaluated at the New York Obesity Research Center, 103 severely obese individuals who participated in the National Center for Health Statistics' National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, and a further 90 severely obese individuals evaluated at the New York Obesity Research Center). Linear regression analyses revealed that for each increase of 10 kg (22.04 lb) above 136 kg (300 lb), body diameter measurements increase by 0.9-1.1 cm. These analyses provide body size-to-weight estimates that may help manufacturers develop products and services that are more appropriate for increasing numbers of severely obese individuals.

Department(s)

Mathematics and Statistics

Keywords and Phrases

Body diameter; Mobility; Obesity

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0014-0139

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 Taylor and Francis Group; Taylor and Francis, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

15 Jan 2002

PubMed ID

11964194

Link to Full Text

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