The ability of anthropometric indices in detecting type 2 diabetes mellitus in Sudanese adults: a cross-sectional study

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a growing global health problem. We aimed to evaluate the ability of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-height ratio (WHtR) to detect type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among adults in Northern Sudan. A multi-stage sampling survey was conducted in Northern Sudan. The information was obtained on the sociodemographic and anthropometric indices (BMI, WC, and WHtR). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and a multivariate binary analysis were performed. Among the 396 adults included in the study, 201 (50.8%) were male, and 195 (49.2%) were female. The median (interquartile, IQR) for age, BMI, WC, and WHtR were 45.0 (33.3‒55.8) years, 26.5(22.5‒30.5) kg/m², 84.0(73.8‒95.0) cm, and 0.46 (0.40‒0.53), respectively. The median values of BMI, WHtR, and WC were higher in females than in males. Of the total, 107 (27.0%) adults had T2DM. The median (IQR) of BMI, WC, and WHtR were significantly higher in adults with T2DM than in those without T2DM. BMI (AUC = 0.55, cutoff = 25.17 kg/m², sensitivity = 0.68, specificity = 0.48, PPV = 32.6, NPV = 80.2), WHtR (AUC = 0.62, cutoff = 0.44, sensitivity = 0.74, specificity = 0.40, PPV = 34.4, NPV = 84.8), and WC (AUC = 0.63, cutoff = 79.28 cm, sensitivity = 0.78, specificity = 0.47, PPV = 35.3, NPV = 85.1), had poor predictability in detecting T2DM in adults. In multivariate analysis, being female (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.66, 95.0% CI 1.01‒2.73), increased age (AOR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03‒1.06), and increased WC (AOR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01‒1.04) were associated with T2DM. BMI and WHtR were not associated with T2DM. BMI, WC, and WHtR showed poor predictive value for detecting T2DM among adult Sudanese.