Accuracy of anthropometric measurements by general practitioners in overweight and obese patients - Sebo, P.; Herrmann, F. R.; Haller, D. M. (BMC Obes, 2017)
BACKGROUND: We recently showed that abdominal obesity measurements (waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio) were inaccurate when performed by general practitioners (GPs). We hypothesise that measurement error could be even higher in overweight and obese patients due to difficulty in locating anatomical landmarks. We aimed to estimate GPs' measurement error of general (weight, height and body mass index (BMI)) and abdominal obesity measurements across BMI subgroups. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 26 GPs in Geneva, Switzerland. They were asked to take measurements on 20 volunteers within their practice. Two trained research assistants repeated the measures after the GPs ("gold standard"). The proportion of measurement error was computed by comparing the GPs' values (N = 509) to the average value of two measurements taken in turn by the research assistants and stratified by BMI subgroup (normal/underweight: <25 kg/m(2), overweight: 25 </= BMI < 30 kg/m(2), obese: >/=30 kg/m(2)). RESULTS: General obesity measurements were less prone to measurement error than abdominal obesity measurements, regardless of the BMI subgroup. The proportions of error increased across BMI subgroups (except for height), and were particularly high for abdominal obesity measurements in obese patients. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal obesity measurements are particularly inaccurate when GPs use these measurements to assess overweight and obese patients. These findings add further strength to recommendations for GPs to favour use of general obesity measurements in daily practice, particularly when assessing overweight or obese patients.
Keywords: journalArticle; Anthropometric measurements; Body mass index; Measurement error; PUBLICATION: NA. COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare that they have no; Primary care; clinique en ambulatoire de l'Association des Medecins du canton de Geneve), which; competing interests. PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Springer Nature remains neutral with; covers the entire canton of Geneva. To take part in the study, both GPs and; regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations; the local research ethics committee (Commission d'ethique pour la recherche; volunteers had to read the information sheet and sign consent forms. CONSENT FOR