Waist Circumference : A Reliable Anthropometric Measure of Obesity

Abstract

Background: Over the past few decades there has been a dramatic rise in the prevalence of obesity throughout the world Waist circumference has been found to be positively correlated with intra-abdominalfat content and can be used to predict risk of developing obesity related disorders. Asians' have a higher intra-abdominal fat and CVS risk factors at lower waist circumference, hence lower cutoff valves have been recommended for Asians'. This study was conducted to asses appropriateness of recommended lower Asian waist circumference cutoff's for Indian population. Methods: Anthropometric measurements were recorded for 800 healthy Indian subjects in the age range of 30 to 50 years selected by stratified random sampling. The measurements were used to describe the distribution of waist circumference and its correlation with selected biochemical factors. Results: Waist Circumference for the study subjects ranged from 63 cms to 107 cms with a mean of 83.9 (±8.9) cms. 210 (26.25%) individuals were categorized to be at an increased risk of obesity related disorders, using the current recommended cutoff of waist circumference of >90cms and were found to have higher levels of biochemical parameters. Fasting Blood Sugar, Total cholesterol, Triglyceride, LDL, VLDL and Blood pressure showed significant correlation with Waist Circumference. Conclusion: Findings of this study show that waist circumference cutoffs recommendedfor Asian population are appropriate for Indians and it is recommended that a national level multi-centric study must be carried out, to define a more evidence based criteria of overweight for Indian population.