title: Is high body fat estimated by body mass index and waist circumference a predictor of hypertension in adults? A population-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to assess the predictive capacity of body fat percentage (%BF) estimated by equations using body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) to identify hypertension and estimate measures of association between high %BF and hypertension in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional population-based study conducted with 1,720 adults (20-59 years) from Florianopolis, southern Brazil. The area under the ROC curve, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios of cutoffs for %BF were calculated. The association between %BF and hypertension was analyzed using Poisson regression, estimating the unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% CI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The %BF equations showed good discriminatory power for hypertension (area under the ROC curve > 0.50). Considering the entire sample, the cutoffs for %BF with better properties for screening hypertension were identified in the equation with BMI for men (%BF = 20.4) and with WC for women (%BF = 34.1). Adults with high %BF had a higher prevalence of hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of simple anthropometric measurements allowed identifying the %BF, diagnosing obesity, and screening people at risk of hypertension in order to refer them for more careful diagnostic evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Post-graduation Program in Physical Education, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil. diegoaugustoss@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Diego Augusto
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Santos Silva
authors.forename: Edio Luiz
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Petroski
authors.forename: Marco Aurelio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Peres
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult