ISSN: 2574-7770
Authors: Aparna G. Bhasker*, Atul N. C Peters, Jammu GS, Manish Khaitan, Raj Palaniappan, Shashank S Shah, Shivaram HV and Praveen Raj
Aim and Background: The global upsurge of the obesity epidemic has led to an urgent need for measurement tools for obesity research and practice. Patient-oriented tools are important for determining the effectiveness of management and treatment of obesity. The current study objective was to evaluate the clinical validity of an obesity risk assessment tool in a large sample of patients suffering from obesity in India. Methods: This study was conducted between August 2021-August 2022 in which a user-friendly, patient-oriented obesity risk assessment questionnaire was digitally administered to patients suffering from obesity. Data was analysed using a multivariate ordered logistic regression model (OLM), and discriminant analysis was performed to validate the model’s predictability. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 1046 patients includes 639 (61.09%) female and 407 (38.91%) male participants. The mean age of patients was 41.29±12.4 years (age range: 15–97 years), and the mean BMI was 46.75±19.41 kg/m2. The ordered regression model predicted bariatric surgery for 66.63% of patients, diet and exercise for 6.9%, and pharmacotherapy for 4.6% of patients. Overall, our findings suggest that the model had an accuracy of 78%, providing evidence for the validity of the tool and suggesting next action steps to be taken by patient. Conclusion: The obesity risk assessment tool has potential as a patient-oriented tool because of its ease of use for the assessment and providing guidance to seek next steps for appropriate management of obesity. It can be applied to both sexes at all ages and may provide the simplest and most valid risk assessment tool to enable patients to move from awareness to action.
Keywords: Body Mass Index (BMI); Edmonton Obesity Staging System; Obesity Risk Assessment Concept; Patient-Oriented
