Obesity, white blood cell counts, and platelet counts among police officers

To determine the association between several obesity indices (BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip and waist-to-height ratios, and abdominal height) and hematologic parameters [white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts] among police officers.

The authors conducted this cross-sectional study among 104 randomly selected officers (41 women and 63 men) from the Buffalo, NY, Police Department. Anthropometric measures were performed by clinic staff, and fasting blood samples were drawn for complete blood counts. Pearson's correlation, Student's t tests, ANOVA, analysis of covariance, and linear regression were used to assess the associations.

Officers ranged in age from 26 to 61 years old and were predominantly white. Among women, current smokers had significantly higher WBC counts (7.4 x 10(3) cells/microL +/- 1.4) than former (5.2 x 10(3) cells/microL +/- 1.4) or never smokers (5.6 x 10(3) cells/microL +/- 1.5) (p = 0.002). Women had similar WBC counts but higher mean platelet counts than men (p = 0.005). Among women, abdominal height was positively associated with platelet count after adjustment for depression (p for trend = 0.039). Among women and men, a non-significant step-wise trend was observed between abdominal height and mean WBC counts before and after adjustment for smoking, race, and physical activity. No association was observed between obesity and platelet count among men.

Abdominal height was significantly associated with increased platelet counts among female officers. No significant associations were observed between obesity and WBC or platelet counts among male officers.