Waist circumference correlates better with body mass index than waist-to-hip ratio in Asian Indians.
BACKGROUND
Waist circumference has been reported to be a better index of android (abdominal) obesity than waist-to-hip ratio. It is likely that the cut-off values that denote medical risk in the Caucasian population cannot be extrapolated to Asian Indians.


METHODS
This was a hospital-based, cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measurements were taken in 285 subjects (207 men, mean age 37 years, range 18-76 years; and 78 women, mean age 31.5 years, range 18-69 years). The subjects comprised patients under psychiatric care as well as normal individuals. The correlation of waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio with body mass Index was studied. The prevalence of abdominal obesity using waist circumference was compared to the prevalence of abdominal obesity using waist-to-hip ratio. (Both the standard and the new recommended cut-offs for Asians were used.)


RESULTS
Waist circumference correlated better with body mass index than waist-to-hip ratio (in men r = 0.821 and 0.341, and in women r = 0.729 and 0.113; p < or = 0.01 ). Forty-seven per cent of overweight men and 73% of overweight women had abdominal obesity as defined by the standard waist circumference cut-offs compared to none of the men and 47% of overweight women using the waist-to-hip ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
Waist circumference correlates better with body mass index than waist-to-hip ratio. The prevalence of abdominal obesity using waist circumference is higher than that with waist-to-hip ratio. This is especially so in Asian Indians as the new recommendations of both body mass index and waist circumference cut-offs to detect subjects at medical risk are lower in them than in Caucasians.
Kurpad
Sunita Simon
SS
Department of Psychiatry, St John's Medical College Hospital, Sarjapura Road, Bangalore 560034, India. sunita.simon@divnut.net
Tandon
Himanshu
H
Srinivasan
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D044466:Asian People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*