Korean J Fam Pract. 2018; 8(3): 398-405  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2018.8.3.398
Association between Body Mass Index and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Korean Adults: Based on the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2012
Young Eun Lee, A Ri Byun*, Hong Soo Lee, Sang Wha Lee, Kyung Won Shim, Ji Young Kwak
Departments of Family Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
A Ri Byun
Tel: +82-2-2650-5165, Fax: +82-2-2654-2439
E-mail: perkyal@hanmail.net
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2746-4860
Received: May 11, 2017; Revised: August 5, 2017; Accepted: August 17, 2017; Published online: June 20, 2018.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to evaluate the association between obesity and anemia in Korean adults using data from the 2010–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 9,582 participants aged ≥19 years, from the 2010–2012 KNHANES participants were included. We compared normal weight participants with overweight and obese participants, with respect to mean differences in the levels of hemoglobin concentration, serum iron, transferrin saturation (TS) and serum ferritin, using multivariate logistic regression analyses as per the survey design. Body mass index (BMI) was used to categorize participants into underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (BMI 18.5 to <23 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 23 to <25 kg/m2), grade 1 obese (BMI 25 to <30 kg/m2), and grade 2 obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) in accordance with the World Health Organization Asia-Pacific definition.
Results: Serum ferritin, iron, and TS levels progressively increased with increasing BMI for all participants, except for those with grade 2 obesity. However, these differences were statistically insignificant in men, premenopausal women, or postmenopausal women.
Conclusion: In the studied Korean population, overweight and obese individuals were less likely to be anemic as compared to underweight adults.
Keywords: Body Mass Index; Obesity; Anemia; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency
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