Waist circumference percentiles for Singaporean children and adolescents aged 6–17 years

Abstract

Population-specific waist circumference (WC) percentiles are crucial for screening children at higher obesity-related metabolic risk. This study aimed to develop age- and gender-specific WC percentile curves for Singaporean children and adolescents. 3029 participants (boys, 1506; girls, 1523) from different population strata of Singapore were recruited. Stature, weight and WC were measured and BMI calculated. Smoothed WC percentile curves and cut-offs for the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 85th, 90th, 95th, 97th were constructed using the Cole's LMS method. WC and BMI increased with age in both sexes and boys had higher WC than girls at every age. Comparison of 50th and 90th percentiles with other populations showed distinct difference in WC curve patterns and values of Singaporean children. We present the first working WC percentile curves and age- and gender-specific cut-offs of Singaporean children and adolescents. These cut-offs and curves can serve as valuable reference for screening and identify children at a higher metabolic risk, for international comparisons and to better understand secular trends in paediatric obesity.