title: Anthropometric and psychosocial determinants of visceral obesity in healthy postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the best predictor among waist circumference, waist to hip ratio (WHR), weight and body mass index (BMI) of visceral obesity across 8.5-10.8 y. We also examined whether changes in waist across the study period co-occur with changes in psychosocial distress or quality of life, and tested whether action levels of waist (level 1 < 80 cm, level 1-2: 80-87.9 cm, level 2 > or = 88 cm) differentiate between women with varying levels of psychosocial distress and quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was determined by computerized-tomography at the L4-L5 disc space, and waist circumference, WHR, weight and BMI by anthropometric techniques in a population-based sample of postmenopausal Healthy Women Study participants. Psychosocial distress and quality of life were assessed by standardized tests of personality and behavior. The n varied from 120-345, depending on the research question.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Waist circumference was superior over the other anthropometric measures in predicting VAT accounting for 40.1-63.5% of the variance in VAT over the study period (P < 0.001). Associations between symptoms of depression, anxiety or distress, low levels of social support or impaired quality of life with waist circumference were cross-sectional (P < 0.04), with lower levels of distress and less impaired daily functioning being characteristic to women at the action level 1 relative to levels 1-2 or 2. Increasing anger over time was associated longitudinally with increasing waist circumference (P < 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Identification of healthy women with large waist circumferences is important for prevention and intervention of poor quality of life and chronic disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Räikkönen
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Kuller
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010556:Personality Tests; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D014781:Viscera / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D016387:Women's Health