Annual prevalence of the body mass index documentation in the UK primary care: A cross‐sectional study using IQVIA medical research data

Aim To estimate the annual prevalence of body mass index (BMI) documentation in UK primary care in 2023 and identify demographic and clinical factors associated with its recording. Materials and Methods This retrospective cross‐sectional study used non‐identified electronic health records from the IQVIA Medical Research Data (IMRD) database. Adults aged ≥18 years with at least one general practice visit in 2023 were included. The primary outcome was documentation of at least one BMI entry during the year based on recorded measurements. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between BMI documentation and age, sex, chronic conditions (including type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and dyslipidemia), and multimorbidity defined as two or more chronic conditions. Results Of 1 202 812 patients, 499 610 (41.5%) had a documented BMI. Documentation was more prevalent among older adults (28.9% in those ≤40 years, 53.7% in those >70 years) and was slightly more common in women (42.3%) than in men (40.6%). The prevalence of BMI recording was 80.4% among patients with type 2 diabetes, 70.5% with ischemic heart disease, and 65.1% with hypertension. The odds of BMI documentation were highest for type 2 diabetes (OR 3.97, 95% CI 3.91–4.02), dyslipidaemia (OR 2.78, 95% CI 2.75–2.80), and multimorbidity. Compared with patients without chronic disease, the odds of BMI documentation increased progressively from OR 2.10 for one condition to OR 14.21 for more than four conditions. Conclusions Although fewer than half of adults had a BMI recorded in 2023, documentation rates were high among patients with chronic disease and multimorbidity. These findings suggest that BMI recording in UK primary care is targeted and clinically driven. and compares favourably with data from other European countries.