Assessment of body fat as a cardiovascular risk factor: a public health approach to Seriate A.O. Bolognini's Employees - WHP Project (Workplace Health Promotion)]

At the A.O. Bolognini Seriate, within the WHP project, the 1942 employees have been evaluated, during the working suitability visit, for cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. The following parameters were detected: height and weight measurement, calculation of BMI, abdominal circumference, lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides), blood glucose. smoking habits, physical activities and sports activities. Each employee was also evaluated with Bioelectrical Impedence Analysis that allowed the acquisition of additional parameters such as the measure of muscle mass, fat mass, lean mass, body water, visceral fat and basal metabolic rate. Excess body fat is a cardiovascular risk factor underestimated by people, traditional tools of simple approach (weight, height, waist circumference, BMI) can often underestimate the presence of visceral fat, metabolically active and recognized risk factor even in normal weight subjects. The measurement of body fat with Bioelectrical Impedence Analysis has highlighted a high percentage of people with excess body fat, although classified as normal weight by calculation of BMI.