title: Association between waist circumference and percentage body fat among rural Thais.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determine the association between waist circumference (WC) and percentage body fat (%BF) and to develop cut-off values and evaluate the accuracy of WC in the definition of obesity in rural Thai population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, epidemiologic study in 181 men and 255 women aged 50+/-16 yr (mean+/-SD; range: 20-84 yr) sampled by stratified clustering sampling method, was designed. Percentage body fat was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (GE Lunar Corp, Madison, WI). The "golden standard"for defining obesity was%BF > or = 25 in men and%BF > or = 35 in women. Waist circumference in centimeter was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, the %BF-based prevalence of obesity in men and women was 8.3% and 44%, respectively. However using the WC cut-off (WHO) of 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women, only 1.7% of men and 24% of women were classified as obese. WC was a significant predictor of %BF, such that in men, a WC of 93 cm would predict a %BF of25%, and in women a WC of 84 cm would correspond to a %BF of 35%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0. 87 and 0. 88 in men and women, respectively. In conclusion, waist circumference is a reasonably useful indicator of obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cut-off values of WC for diagnosing obesity should be lower in Thailand than in Western countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand. pchatl@kku.ac.th
authors.forename: Chatlert
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pongchaiyakul
authors.forename: Choowong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pongchaiyakul
authors.forename: Ekgaluck
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wanothayaroj
authors.forename: Tuan V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Rajata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajatanavin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology