Association of Anthropometric Adiposity Indices with Anxiety Symptoms in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Kaduna State

Abstract

Anxiety symptoms are common psychological complications among individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and may contribute to poor disease outcomes. Anthropometric adiposity indices reflect metabolic alterations associated with diabetes; however, their relationship with anxiety symptoms remains insufficiently explored, particularly in African clinical populations. This study evaluated the association between anthropometric adiposity indices and anxiety symptoms among patients with T2DM attending Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 400 patients with T2DM. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire. Anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body adiposity index (BAI), conicity index (CI), a body shape index (ABSI), biceps skinfold thickness (BSF), and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), were evaluated. Binary logistic regression was used to assess associations, while receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated discriminatory performance. The overall logistic regression model was not significantly associated with anxiety symptom status (Omnibus test: χ² = 11.294, df = 7, p = 0.126). TSF showed a significant association with anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.076, 95% CI: 1.009–1.148, p = 0.026), while BSF demonstrated a borderline association. ROC analysis revealed limited discriminatory ability across all indices, with TSF showing the highest area under the curve (AUC = 0.5737, 95% CI: 0.5112–0.6362). Anthropometric adiposity indices alone have limited ability to identify anxiety symptoms among patients with T2DM. Although TSF showed a weak association, psychological, metabolic, and socioeconomic factors should be considered when assessing anxiety risk in this population.