Abstract
Obesity affects millions of people worldwide, becoming a public health problem with serious implications for human life quality. This is why low-cost prevention and diagnostic strategies that are accessible to the entire population are needed. Low-cost and easy-to-use strategies include the measurement of Body Mass Index (BMI) and measurement of waist circumference (WC). The objective was to determine whether the percentage of body fat in Colombian college students can be predicted through BMI or WC, establishing WC cutoff points. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with a simple random sample. The study included 687 students aged 18-35 years old from both sexes. Anthropometric measures of weight, length, waist circumference at navel level and skin folds (bicipital, tricipital, subscapular and suprailiac) were obtained. The sensitivity and specificity of BMI and the waist circumference at navel level (WCN) were determined to predict the estimated percentage of body fat by measuring skin folds. The cutting points of the waist circumference for men and women were determined by drawing up a Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC). Greater sensitivity and specificity of WCN were found in comparison with BMI, to predict the percentage of body fat.
Highlights
Obesity is defined as the excess of body fat (KAVAK et al, 2014)
This study aims to determine whether the percentage of body fat in Colombian college students can be predicted through Body Mass Index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC)
The area under the BMI curve was smaller than waist circumference at navel level (WCN) in both sexes (p
Summary
Obesity is defined as the excess of body fat (KAVAK et al, 2014). The interest in its study and physiopathology has increased over the last few years, given the physical and psychosocial implications and its impact on people's health. According to data from the latest National Survey of Nutritional Situation in Colombia (ENSIN, 2010), one out of two adults is overweight and one out of six is obese (FONSECA-CENTENO, 2011). Obesity is linked to cardiovascular complications and the development of diabetes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
