(P31-066-23) Body Composition, Obesity and Social Support in a Population of Inner-City Kidney Transplant Recipients (KTRs)

Objectives: Obesity has been associated with poorer outcomes in Kidney Transplant Recipients (KTRs) and many patients gain weight following the procedure. We investigated trends in weight gain, body composition and association with social support in a population of indigent inner-city pts.

Methods: Body composition was measured using the InBody S10 body composition analyzer with the patient in a seated position in a random sample of 28 stable KTRs attending clinic. A survey regarding diet and social support (modified MOS-SS) was administered at the same time.

Results: Mean age was 60±3.4yrs, there were 18 males (64%), 17 (65%) identified as Black, 60% made < $40K/yr. Mean post-transplant time was 34.1±10.4 mos. Mean BMI was 28+/-1.45 mean % body fat was 22.1±2.5, visceral fat 7.1±0.9, skeletal muscle mass 74.3±3.9. 47.8% reported having difficulty following a diet plan, < 15% had spoken to a dietician within the past few months but 54% wanted information about healthy eating. 48% reported gaining weight over the previous year. 44% (12) met the definition of overweight by BMI, 22% (6) were obese and 30% (8) were normal. There was no difference in % body fat and visceral fat between obese and normal BMI but skeletal muscle mass was greater (94.1+/-13.5 vs 63.2+/-6.9, p=0.05), as was body water. Both %body fat and visceral fat were inversely related to having someone to prepare meals (-0.8, p=0.009 and -0.9, p=0.002)), and do chores (-0.8, p=0.009, -0.9, p=0.002). BMI, and social support was not related to sex, age or income.

Conclusions: In our population of older inner-City KTRs 1. The majority were overweight by BMI, and had elevated fat mass but BMI was a poor indicator of body composition. 2. Almost half reported gaining weight, having difficulty following a diet plan but wanting information about healthy eating. 3. Patients with poorer social support, especially as regards meal preparation and shopping were more likely to have higher fat mass 4. As obesity can have deleteriously effects on long term allograft survival, and even normal BMI pts had high fat mass, dietary counseling should be continued in the post-transplant period with body composition analysis if possible.

Funding Sources: N/A