Critical value for the index of body fat distribution based on waist and hip circumferences and stature in obese girls.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the critical value for the standard deviation score (SDS) of waist-hip ratio (WHR)/height (Ht), as an age-adjusted measure of body fat distribution, in relation to occurrence of biochemical complications in obese girls.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, clinical study. The (WHR/Ht)-SDS was calculated as described previously. Obese girls were classified into two groups according to the occurrence of abnormal values in either serum triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase or insulin level. The criteria for obesity were subjected to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.


METHODS
One-hundred and twenty-four outpatient Japanese obese girls, ranging in age from 9 to 15 y.


METHODS
Height, body weight, waist girth and hip girth as anthropometric measures. Percentage overweight, waist girth, WHR and (WHR/Ht)-SDS as criteria for obesity. Clinical laboratory analysis for fasting blood samples of obese children.


RESULTS
Fifty-nine girls were classified into the no complication group, and 65 girls into the complication group. Those with complications were older, more obese, and their waist girth and WHR were larger, than the girls without complications. The (WHR/Ht)-SDS was >2-fold higher and lipoprotein profile was more atherogenic in the complication group than in the no complication group. Among the four criteria of obesity, (WHR/Ht)-SDS gave the ROC curve skewed furthest into the top left corner of the diagram. Both sensitivity and specificity for (WHR/Ht)-SDS were >80% at the critical value of 2.00. The sensitivity for waist girth was as high as that for specificity for the rest of the criteria were <80%.


CONCLUSIONS
Only (WHR/Ht)-SDS showed high enough sensitivity and specificity to predict metabolic derangement in the present obese girls. (WHR/Ht)-SDS can serve as the diagnostic criterion that classifies obesity in Japanese adolescent girls into two types.
Asayama
K
K
Department of Pediatrics, Yamanashi Medical University, Tamahocho, Nakakomagun, Yamanashi, Japan. kasayama@res.yamanashi-med.acljp
Oguni
T
T
Hayashi
K
K
Dobashi
K
K
Fukunaga
Y
Y
Kodera
K
K
Tamai
H
H
Nakazawa
S
S
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000293:Adolescent; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D001823:Body Composition; D001824:Body Constitution; D002648:Child; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D001053:Apolipoproteins; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides; D000410:Alanine Transaminase