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- Title
Predictive Ability of Waist-to-Height in Relation to Adiposity in Children Is Not Improved With Age and Sex-Specific Values.
- Authors
Taylor, Rachael W.; Williams, Sheila M.; Grant, Andrea M.; Taylor, Barry J.; Goulding, Ailsa
- Abstract
A waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) ≥0.5 indicates increased health risk in children and adults. However, because of residual correlation between WHtR and height in children, dividing waist circumference by height to the power of one may be insufficient to correctly adjust for height during growth. This study aimed to determine whether age and sex-specific exponents which properly adjust for height affect the predictive ability of WHtR to correctly discriminate between children with differing fat distribution. Total and regional body fat was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 778 (49% male) children and adolescents. WHtR was calculated as waist/height1 (WHtRa), and using two published age and sex-specific exponents for height (WHtRb) (1) (WHtRc) (2), and compared with various DXA indexes of body composition using receiver operating curve analysis. 15% of males and 17% of females had a WHtRa ≥0.5, with corresponding figures of 8% and 27% for WHtRb, and 23% and 17% for WHtRc. WHtRa was significantly different from WHtRb (males only, P < 0.001) but not WHtRc (P = 0.121). Areas under the receiver operating curve (AUC) for WHtRa were significantly higher than AUCs for WHtRb or WHtRc in relation to DXA-measured body composition (AUCs ≥0.89 for WHtRa compared with AUCs of 0.71-0.84 for WHtRb and WHtRc). Simply dividing waist circumference by height (WHtRa) correctly discriminates between children and adolescents with low and high levels of total and central fat at least 90% of the time. Keeping your waist circumference to less than half your height provides an effective screening index of body composition during growth.
- Subjects
OBESITY; WAIST-hip ratio; CHILDHOOD obesity; ADOLESCENT obesity; STATURE; BODY weight; DUAL-energy X-ray absorptiometry
- Publication
Obesity (19307381), 2011, Vol 19, Issue 5, p1062
- ISSN
1930-7381
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/oby.2010.217