Ethnic and sex-specific cut-off values for adult obesity in the Suriname Health Study

Abstract

Sex-specific body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) cut-off values have been validated for a limited number of ethnic groups. We aimed to derive these cut-off values for Amerindians, Creoles, Hindustani, Javanese, Maroons and Mixed living in Suriname. Data from individuals aged 20-65, in the Suriname Health Study was used to derive optimal cut-off values for BMI and WC for the prediction of hypertension (n=4910) and cardio-metabolic risk (n=2924). Results from the analysis with Receiver Operating Curves were calculated and compared these with recommended values. The area under the ROC curve was consistently higher for WC compared to BMI among Creoles, Hindustani, Maroons and Mixed. The BMI cut-off values ranged from 24.8kg/m2 for Creole men and 26.9kg/m2 for Maroon women to 28.4kg/m2 and 30.2kg/m2 for Amerindian men and women, respectively. The WC cut-off values ranged from 80.7cm for Maroon men, 86.7cm for Javanese women to 90.8cm for Hindustani men and 95.7cm for Amerindian women. Optimal BMI cut-off values approximated Asian cut-off values from the World Health Organization whilst those of WC for men approximated and for women exceeded cut-off values from the International Diabetes Federation. In most ethnic groups, we found better discriminatory power for WC compared to BMI in the relation with cardiovascular risk factors. The estimated BMI and WC cut-off values differed between ethnic groups. Further studies are needed to identify cut-off values related to the future risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.