title: Waist circumference and waist circumference to height ratios of Kaingáng indigenous adolescents from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe the distribution of waist circumference (WC) and WC to height (WCTH) values among Kaingáng indigenous adolescents in order to estimate the prevalence of high WCTH values and evaluate the correlation between WC and WCTH and body mass index (BMI)-for-age. A total of 1,803 indigenous adolescents were evaluated using a school-based cross-sectional study. WCTH values > 0.5 were considered high. Higher mean WC and WCTH values were observed for girls in all age categories. WCTH values > 0.5 were observed in 25.68% of the overall sample of adolescents. Mean WC and WCTH values were significantly higher for adolescents with BMI/age z-scores > 2 than for those with normal z-scores. The correlation coefficients of WC and WCTH for BMI/age were r = 0.68 and 0.76, respectively, for boys, and r = 0.79 and 0.80, respectively, for girls. This study highlights elevated mean WC and WCTH values and high prevalence of abdominal obesity among Kaingáng indigenous adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil. tgontijo108@gmail.com
authors.forename: Teresa Gontijo de
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Barufaldi
authors.forename: Michael Maia
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Schlüssel
authors.forename: Wolney Lisboa
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Conde
authors.forename: Maurício Soares
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: Ilaine
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schuch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height / Q000208:ethnology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008297:Male; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult