The relationships between figure rating scale, anthropometric measures, and cardiometabolic outcomes: the AADM study

INTRODUCTION: Direct measurement of anthropometrics can be impractical in research. Validated Figure Rating Scales (FRS) offer an alternative, but their validity across populations remains limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the relationships between figure rating scale (FRS) and anthropometric measures (body mass index (BMI); waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)) and to specifically evaluate FRS at the time of enrollment and lifetime body size, an FRS-derived score as risk factors for cardiometabolic traits including type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Participants consisted of 650 adults from the America Africa Diabetes Mellitus study. Kendall's tau coefficient (τ) was used to analyze correlations between FRS at the time of enrollment, overall obesity, and abdominal obesity. Regression models were used to evaluate FRS at the time of enrollment and lifetime body size as risk factors for T2D, and related traits. RESULTS: BMI and WHR increased monotonically with increasing body size. FRS at the time of enrollment showed a stronger correlation with BMI (τ = 0.48, p < 0.0001) than with WHR (τ = 0.17, p < 0.0001) in women. Lifetime body size was significantly associated with T2D (OR = 1.044, 95% Confidence Limit: [1.006, 1.08]; both FRS at the time of enrollment and lifetime body size were associated with insulin resistance. Diastolic blood pressure was associated with FRS at the time of enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: FRS at the time of enrollment is significantly associated with BMI and WHR in this population and lifetime body size, a novel composite score, shows promising utility as a predictor of T2D.