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Body roundness index and a body shape index and their associations with menopausal symptoms: a comparative
Murat Polat1, Sait Erbey2, Mehmet Alican Sapmaz2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Ankara, Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, 06170, Turkey. dr.muratpolat@hotmail.com.
Background:
Menopause is accompanied by a considerable symptom burden, and although body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to assess its association with menopausal symptoms, BMI does not capture central fat distribution. The Body Roundness Index (BRI) and A Body Shape Index (ABSI) specifically reflect central adiposity. This study aimed to investigate the associations of BRI and ABSI with menopausal symptom severity in perimenopausal and menopausal women, and to compare these indices with BMI.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 638 women aged 44-56 years (319 perimenopausal, 319 menopausal) recruited from a gynaecology outpatient clinic. Menopausal symptom burden was assessed using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL), and physical activity was evaluated with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). BMI, BRI, and ABSI were calculated from anthropometric measurements. Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation analysis, and crude and adjusted multiple linear regression models were used for statistical analysis.
Results:
All three indices showed significant positive associations with total MENQOL scores. In Spearman correlation analysis, ABSI demonstrated the strongest correlation with total symptom burden (r = 0.677, p < 0.01), followed by BRI (r = 0.494, p < 0.01) and BMI (r = 0.332, p < 0.01). In multiple regression models, all associations remained statistically significant after adjustment for age, smoking status, history of chronic disease, BMI (BMI only in BRI and ABSI models) and physical activity. Obese women had the highest MENQOL scores across all subscales in both groups, while overweight women paradoxically showed lower scores than normal-weight women. Physical activity was negatively correlated with total symptom burden (r = - 0.084, p < 0.05), though its independent effect was limited in adjusted models.
Conclusions:
BRI and ABSI were independently and significantly associated with menopausal symptom burden, with ABSI showing the strongest correlation. Central adiposity indices may add clinically relevant information beyond BMI in menopausal women, and prospective studies are needed to clarify causality.
