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Optimal cut-off values for obesity: using simple anthropometric indices to predict cardiovascular risk factors in Taiwan.
- Source :
-
International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders . Sep2002, Vol. 26 Issue 9, p1232. 7p. - Publication Year :
- 2002
-
Abstract
- BACKGROUND: The increased health risks associated with obesity have been found to occur in Asians at lower body mass indices (BMIs). To determine the optimal cut-off values for overweight or obesity in Taiwan, we examined the relationships between four anthropometric indices and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: The data were collected from four health-screening centers from 1998 to 2000 in Taiwan. Included were 55 563 subjects (26 359 men and 29 204 women, mean age = 37.3 ± 10.9 and 37.0± 11.1 y, respectively). None had known major systemic diseases or were taking medication. Individual body weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and a series of tests related to cardiovascular risk (blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) were assessed and their relationships were examined. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to find out the optimal cut-off values of various anthropometric indices to predict hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. RESULTS: Of the four anthropometric indices we studied, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in women was found to have the largest areas under the ROC curve (women=0.755, 95% Cl 0.748-0.763) relative to at least one risk factor (ie hypertension or diabetes or dyslipidemia). The optimal cut-off values for overweight or obesity from our study in men and women showed that BMIs of 23.6 and 22.1 kg/m², WCs of 80.5 and 71.5 cm, waist-to-hip ratios (WHpR) of 0.85 and 0.76, and WHtR of 0.48 and 0.45, respectively, may be more appropriate in Taiwan. CONCLUSIONS: WHtR may be a better indicator for screening overweight- or obesity-related CVD risk factors than the other three indexes (BMI, WC and WHpR) in Taiwan. Our study also supported the hypothesis that the cut-off values using BMI and WC to define obesity should be much lower in Taiwan than in Western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *OBESITY
*ANTHROPOMETRY
*CARDIOVASCULAR diseases
*HEALTH risk assessment
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 03070565
- Volume :
- 26
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 8674888
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802040