Body mass index (BMI) still remains an important tool in the determination of health risks associated with weight especially overweight and obesity. The continuous increase in the incidence of overweight and obesity has become a global worry due to the health risks associated with them especially hypertension and type II diabetes. Recent studies have shown correlation between BMI and number of hospital visits of outpatients. The aim of this study was to find such a correlation (if any) among the staff of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. A total of 206 subjects gave their consent and were included in the study. Demographic information and BMI of each subject were recorded as well as self-reported clinical information and number of hospital visits made in the past six months. Most subjects were male and majority were within the age category 41- 50. The mean BMI was 26.08 ± 3.557 and the incidence of overweight and obesity was recorded as 47.6% and 12.1% respectively. Among the overweight subjects (n=98), 7.8% were hypertensive and 2.4% were diabetic. Out of the 25 obese subjects, the incidence of hypertension and diabetes was 2.4% and 1.9% respectively. Most subjects had visited the hospital once or more in the past six months. There was a significant weak positive correlation between the BMI of subjects and number of hospital visits made in the past six months (P=0.009 and R2=0.033). This could indicate that, overweight and obese individuals are more likely to increase pressure on health care systems.
