BMI and waist circumference as indicators of health among Samoan women.
OBJECTIVE
High rates of obesity and chronic disease make establishment of effective indicators of risk for chronic disease important. The objective was to examine adequacy of anthropometric cut-off points as indicators of risk for chronic disease among Samoan women in Hawaii.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of 55 Samoan women 18 to 28 years of age that included blood lipids, cholesterol, and glucose (including after a 2-hour oral glucose test); anthropometry (weight, height, waist circumference); and DXA of body composition.


RESULTS
Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/World Health Organization (WHO) cut-off points for BMI, 22% of women were overweight and 58% were obese. Cholesterol, lipid, and glucose values were all linearly related to DXA body fat, BMI, and waist circumference. BMI and waist circumference at WHO/NIH cut-off points predicted levels of blood lipids and glucose that indicate elevated risk for disease.


CONCLUSIONS
WHO/NIH cut-off points for BMI and waist circumference reflect risk indicators of chronic disease among young Samoan women in Hawaii.
Novotny
Rachel
R
Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1955 East West Road, Ag Sci Bldg, Room 216, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. novotny@hawaii.edu
Nabokov
Vanessa
V
Derauf
Christopher
C
Grove
John
J
Vijayadeva
Vinutha
V
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids; D000886:Anthropometry; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002857:Chromium; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D009539:Nicotinic Acids; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D018947:Samoa / Q000208:ethnology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D000596:Amino Acids; D001786:Blood Glucose; D009539:Nicotinic Acids; D014280:Triglycerides; C015240:glucose tolerance factor; D002857:Chromium; D002784:Cholesterol