title: ANTHROPOMETRY TO IDENTIFY HIGH VISCERAL FAT AREA IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  the evaluation of the body fat distribution by anthropometry can serve to identify excess visceral fat. This diagnosis will enable implementation of specific measures to both prevent and treat excess visceral fat in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  the aim of this study was to analyze different anthropometric indicators and identify the best cutoff points to discriminate subjects with high visceral fat area (HVFA) in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  cross-sectional study with a sample of 255 postmenopausal women. Different Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed and the areas under them compared in terms of the conicity index (C-index), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), weight-to-height ratio (WHtR) and HVFA. Sensitivity and specificity identified the best cutoff points between the different anthropometric indicators in order to discriminate subjects with HVFA. The confidence interval was set at 95%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  statistically significant areas under the ROC curve were found for all anthropometric indicators analyzed. The following cutoff points, with their respective sensitivities and specificities to discriminate subjects with HVFA, were suggested: C-index (1.19; 75.00%- 74.77%); BMI (27.3 kg/m2; 81.08%-80.37%); WHR (0.98; 90.54%-83.18%); WC (85 cm; 85.14%-81.31%); and WHtR (0.55; 80.41%-80.37%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  these results demonstrate that anthropometric indicators identify HVFA well in postmenopausal women and can be used instead of more sophisticated exams to detect high levels of visceral fat.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA, Brazil.. pitanga@lognet.com.br.
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Gondim Pitanga
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Baiano de Ciências do Esporte (SPORTCLIN), Salvador BA, Brazil.. pitanga@lognet.com.br.
authors.forename: Cristiano Penas
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Seara Pitanga
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agroambientais e Biológicas (CITAB). Portugal.. pitanga@lognet.com.br.
authors.forename: Ronaldo Eugénio
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Calçada Dias Gabriel
authors.affiliation: Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (IFSC), Palhoça, SC, Brazil.. pitanga@lognet.com.br.
authors.forename: Carmem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cristina Beck
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Centro de Investigação em Desporto, Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano (CIDESD) e Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agroambientais e Biológicas (CITAB), Portugal.. pitanga@lognet.com.br.
authors.forename: Maria Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Rodrigues Moreira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D055105:Waist Circumference; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio