Anthropometric indices as the predictors of trunk obesity in Chinese young adults: receiver operating characteristic analyses.
BACKGROUND
Trunk obesity has adverse health implications in adults, but valid and practical methods to correctly measure trunk obesity in China are insufficient.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the validity of anthropometric indices as screening the predictors of trunk obesity in young Chinese adults.


METHODS
A total of 1946 (853 women, 1093 men) Chinese volunteers aged 20-40 years were recruited. Trunk fat mass was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and conicity index (C index) were measured or calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the validity of each anthropometric index to predict trunk adiposity.


RESULTS
BMI and WC performed better as the anthropometric indices defining trunk obesity than WHR and C index, and the areas under the ROC curves for BMI (0.94 in men and 0.89 in women) were similar to those for WC (0.93 in men and 0.88 in women).


CONCLUSIONS
Both BMI and WC are more effective predictors of trunk obesity than WHR and C index in Chinese young adults.
Li
Li-ming
LM
Laboratory of Molecular and Statistical Genetics and the Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, PR China.
Lei
Shu-feng
SF
Chen
Xiang-ding
XD
Deng
Fei-yan
FY
Tan
Li-Jun
LJ
Zhu
Xue-zhen
XZ
Deng
Hong-wen
HW
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D050218:Body Fat Distribution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012307:Risk Factors; D050507:Subcutaneous Fat, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*