Fat mass in climacteric women

Abstract

Introduction: the body mass index is a simple, widely used method to estimate the proportion of body fat.
Objective: determine the characteristics of fat distribution in climacteric women.
Methods: a prospective longitudinal descriptive study was conducted at the climacteric service of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and Andres Ortiz Teaching Polyclinic in the municipality of Guanabacoa, Havana, Cuba, from March 2013 to March 2014. The study sample was composed of women who granted their informed consent to participate in the study. A survey was conducted which included the following variables: body mass index, abdominal circumference and skinfolds (subscapular, suprailiac, tricipital) based on Berdasco's tables.
Results: the highest body mass index was found among obese women: 34,9 % for premenopausal and 42 % for posmenopausal women. Abdominal perimeter above 88 cm was 81 cm: 65,4 % for pre-menopausal and posmenopausal women, respectively. A suprailiac fold greater than the 90^th percentile was 83,7 % for pre-menopausal women and 94 % for post-menopausal women.
Conclusions: climacteric women have a high body mass index with a predominance of central obesity and the suprailiac fold.