title: The link between BMI and waist circumference in northern Iranian adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Waist circumference and not body mass index explains a greater variance in obesity-related health risk. The present study assesses the link between BMI and WC in Iranian adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a population based cross-sectional study on 3600 adults, northern Iran, we investigated the link between WC and BMI using linear regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Pearson correlation coefficient between WC and BMI were R = 0.61 (p < 0.001) for male and R = 0.75 (p < 0.001) for female. The fitted models were: WC(cm) = 44.45 +/- 1.79 BMI, (R2 = 0.37, p < 0.001) and WC(cm) = 36.85 +/- 1.89 BMI (R2 = 0.57, p < 0.001) respectively. After adjusting of age, gender and marital status, the association of BMI on WC is persisted. The overall discrimination ability of BMI for abdominal obesity as estimated by AUC was 0.865 (95% CI: 0.851-0.879, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present linear link between BMI and WC measurements would help to estimate WC and its upper and lower confidence bond from height and weight.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Social Medicine and Health, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. drhajian@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Karimollah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hajian-Tilaki
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heidari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000208:ethnology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult