Waist-to-height ratio and body mass index for the prediction of metabolic syndrome in the elderly

Abstract

Objective To investigate waist-to-height ratio(WHtR) and body mass index(BMI) for the screening and prediction of metabolic syndrome and explore the best indicator for predicting metabolic syndrome(MS) in the elderly. Methods A cluster random sampling method was used.5 010 cases aged 60-70 years old of Renqiu permanent residents were selected as a screening subjects.The face to face health questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory testing were conducted.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC) was used to analyze and calculate the area under the curve(AUC). Results WHtR predict the best point of tangency of MS were 0.54(men), 0.55(women), BMI predict the best point of tangency of MS were 25.25kg/m2(men), 25.05kg/m2 (women). In the same gender, the contrast of WHtR and BMI in predicts MS area under the curve, WHtR area under the curve of the larger, WHtR was higher than BMI, WHtR was a better indicator in predicted of MS. Conclusion WHtR and BMI have important roles in the screening and prediction of MS, and WHtR seems to be the best parameter in the screening and prediction of MS in the elderly. Key words: Metabolic syndrome; Waist-to-height ratio; Body mass index