title: A comparative study of methods for diagnosis of obesity in an urban mixed-race population in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is defined as an excess of total body fat and may be assessed by different methods. The objective of the present study was to establish the discriminatory power of anthropometric data in determining obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects comprised 685 individuals, aged 20-79 years, sampled from a population-based survey. The following indicators were used: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and total body fat percentage estimated with both Siri's equation (%BF Siri) and foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis (%BF BIA). Sensitivity and specificity of different cut-off points for each method were determined using %BF BIA as reference.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 685 participants, 57.6% were aged >/= 40 years, 69.9% were women and 72.6% self-referred themselves as non-white. To classify obesity based on sex and age among women aged 0.05). Classifying according to skin colour did not change cut-off points in any indicator.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BMI and WC better discriminate obesity among women and men aged >/= 40 years from a mixed-race population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), University Campus, Morro do Cruzeiro, CEP 35400/000 Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil. sinfreitas@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Silvia Nascimento
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: de Freitas
authors.forename: Waleska Teixeira
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Caiaffa
authors.forename: Cibele Comini
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: César
authors.forename: Ana Paula Carlos
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Cândido
authors.forename: Valéria Andrade
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Raimundo Marques do Nascimento
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: George Luiz Lins
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Machado-Coelho
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio