Hemoglobin, white blood cell, mean platelet volume, C reactive protein, and their association with overweight/obesity among adolescents: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Recently, hematological parameters such as hemoglobin, white blood cell (WBC), mean platelet volume (MPV), and C-reactive protein (CRP) have received more attention as predictors of overweight/obesity among adolescents. We aimed to investigate the association between hemoglobin, WBC, MPV, and CRP and overweight/obesity among adolescents in two regions of Sudan: River Nile State in the north and Gadarif in the east.

Methods: A multicenter community - based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 to October 2023. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data. Weight, height, hematological parameters, and CRP were measured using standard procedures. Multivariate multinomial analysis was performed.

Results: A total of 738 adolescents (male: 325 [44.0%], female: 413 [56.0%]) were recruited. The median (interquartile, [IQR]) age was 14.8 (13.1-16.3) years. Of the total, 492 (66.7%), 151 (20.5%), and 95 (12.9%) were normal, underweight, and overweight/obese, respectively. In multivariate multinomial analysis, increasing WBC and increasing hemoglobin have shown a progressive increase in the overweight/obese group (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.16) and (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.06-1.53), respectively. Compared with females, males were at higher risk of being underweight (AOR = 2.77, 95% 1.86-4.12).

Conclusion: This study indicates that the identified hematological predictors, specifically WBC and hemoglobin levels, can be helpful indicators for predicting overweight and obesity in adolescents in Sudan.