Obesity among diabetes patients in a primary health care center

ABSTRACT

To estimate the percentage of diabetic patients who are obese in a primary health care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A retrospective review of the medical records of 338 adult diabetic patients attending the mini clinic in a primary health center in Riyadh, over an 18 month period, from January 1998-June 1999. Only 20% of the patients were their ideal weight [BMI < 25 kg/m[2]], while 32% were overweight [BMI 25 - 29.9 kg/m[2]]. Thirty three percent were moderately obese [BMI 30 - 40kg/m[2]] and 1.5% were morbidly obese [BMI > 40 kg/m[2]]. Planning an organized program to decrease obesity among diabetic patients will be an important aspect of the multidisciplinary team caring for diabetic patients, and to prevent obesity related problems