Waist Circumference, Waist Size, Abdominal Fat & Obesity
Weight Loss Study Background
A waist circumference of 94 cm for men and 80 cm for women (action level
I) and 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women (action level II) have been
suggested as limits to alert the general public to the need for weight
reduction. This study examined the ability of these waist circumference
cut-off points to correctly identify subjects with or without hypertension
in Nigeria, Cameroon, Jamaica, St Lucia and Barbados. Population- and
gender-specific abdominal adiposity cut-off points for epidemiological
identification of risk of hypertension were also studied.
Weight Loss Study Method
Waist measurement was made at the narrowest part of the torso as seen
from the front or at midpoint between the bottom of the rib cage and 2
cm above the top of the iliac crest. Sensitivity and specificity of the
established waist circumference cut-off points for hypertension were compared
across sites. With receiver operating characteristics (ROC), population-
and gender-specific cut-off points associated with risk of hypertension
were determined over the entire range of waist circumference values.
Weight Loss Study Results
Predictive abilities of the established WC cut-off points for hypertension
were poor compared to the specific cut-off points estimated for each population.
Different values of waist circumference were associated with increased
risk of hypertension in these populations. In men, waist circumference
cut-off points of 76, 81, 80, 83 and 87 cm provided the highest sensitivity
for identifying hypertensives in Nigeria, Cameroon, Jamaica, St Lucia
and Barbados, respectively. The analogous cut-off points in women were
72, 82, 85, 86 and 88 cm.
Weight Loss Study Conclusion
The waist cut-off points from this study represent values for epidemiological
identification of risk of hypertension. For the purpose of health promotion,
the decision on what cut-off points to use must be made by considering
other additional factors including overall impact on health due to intervention
(e.g. weight reduction) and potential burden on health services if a low
cut-off point is employed. There is a need to develop abdominal adiposity
cut-off points associated with increased risks for cardiovascular diseases
in different societies, especially for those populations where the distribution
of obesity and associated risk factors tends to be very different from
those of the technologically advanced nations.
Source: International Journal of Obesity
(1999)
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