Association of anthropometric indices with cardiovascular disease risk factors among children and adolescents: CASPIAN Study.
BACKGROUND
For the first time in Iran, and to the best of our knowledge in Asia, we assessed the anthropometric indices most closely correlated to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a large nationally representative sample of children and adolescents to be used as a simple tool for identifying those at risk.


METHODS
This multi-center study was performed among a representative sample of 4811 school students (2248 boys and 2563 girls) aged 6-18 years, as part of the baseline survey of a national surveillance system. Anthropometric indices and CVD risk factors were measured using standard protocols, and their correlation was analyzed by using Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves and partial correlation.


RESULTS
The most prevalent CVD risk factors were low HDL-C (28%), followed by hypertriglyceridemia (20.1%), and overweight (17%). The ROC analyses showed that among boys, all anthropometric indices had the same association with CVD risk factors in 6-9.9-year-age group, while in the 10-13.9 and 14-18-year-age groups, respectively waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) were the best in distinguishing CVD risk factors. Among girls, these indices were respectively BMI and waist to stature ratio (WSR); WC and WSR; and WC. In the partial correlation analysis, in boys, the highest coefficient was found for BMI; BMI and WC; and for WC and WSR; in girls, these indices were BMI; WC and WSR; and BMI respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
In the present study, BMI, WC and WSR were the most appropriate in predicting CVD risk factors. It may be clinically useful in the pediatric population to routinely measure WC and WSR in addition to BMI as a screening tool to identify high-risk youth.
Kelishadi
Roya
R
Preventive Pediatric Cardiology Department, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center (WHO-Collaborating Center in EMR), Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 81465-1148, Isfahan, Iran. Kelishadi@med.mui.ac.ir
Gheiratmand
Riaz
R
Ardalan
Gelayol
G
Adeli
Khosrow
K
Mehdi Gouya
Mohammad
M
Mohammad Razaghi
Emran
E
Majdzadeh
Reza
R
Delavari
Alireza
A
Shariatinejad
Keyvan
K
Motaghian
Molouk
M
Heshmat
Ramin
R
Heidarzadeh
Abtin
A
Barekati
Hamed
H
Sadat Mahmoud-Arabi
Minoo
M
Mehdi Riazi
Mohammad
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012307:Risk Factors