Keimyung Med J.  2021 Jun;40(1):32-38. 10.46308/kmj.2021.00101.

Waist-to-Height Ratio as an Index for Screening Lifestyle-Related Diseases in Overweight Adults

• Lee MJ
• Suh YS
• Hong SW
• Kim DH

• KMID: 2516708
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.46308/kmj.2021.00101

Abstract

Central obesity carries more metabolic risks compared with total obesity assessed by Body mass index (BMI). Also, there’s paradoxical relationship between BMI and all-cause mortality in overweight group (23 kg/㎡ ≤ BMI < 25 kg/㎡). The aim of this study is to assess relationship between waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and lifestyle-related diseases such as metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes in overweight group, and to find the most predictable and useful obesity index for screening lifestyle-related diseases. A total of 3,994 overweight (23 kg/㎡ ≤ BMI < 25 kg/㎡) adults from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013-2015 (KNHANES VI) were included. We assessed the relationship between WHtR and metabolic syndrome components using multiple regression analysis, and assessed the relationship between abdominal obesity (WHtR ≥ 0.5) and lifestyle-related diseases using complex samples logistic regression analysis. Also, to find the most useful index to predict lifestyle-related diseases, we calculated the areas under the Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. WHtR was significantly related to metabolic syndrome components. Odds ratios of metabolic syndrome, hypertension and type 2 diabetes were 2.187, 1.445, 2.463 in abdominal obese group (WHtR ≥ 0.5), respectively. Area under the curve of WHtR was the most significantly highest among those of obesity indices. WHtR is a simple and useful obesity index to predict lifestyle-related diseases in overweight Korean adults. Further investigations for other obesity indices are needed to predict lifestyle-related diseases better.

Keyword

Body mass index; Lifestyle-related diseases; Metabolic syndrome; Waist-height ratio