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The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition
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ISSN: 1606-0997 EISSN: 1606-0997
Vol. 32, No. 3, 2014, pp. 411-419
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Bioline Code: hn14045
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, Vol. 32, No. 3, 2014, pp. 411-419
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Waist-to-Height Ratio Percentiles and Cutoffs for Obesity: A Cross-sectional Study in Brazilian Adolescents
Cintra, Isa de Pádua; Passos, Maria Aparecida Zanetti; dos Santos, Luana Caroline; da Costa Machado, Helymar & Fisberg, Mauro
Abstract
This study aimed to describe the distribution of waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) percentiles and cutoffs for
obesity in Brazilian adolescents. A cross-sectional study including adolescents aged 10 to 15 years was
conducted in the city of São Paulo, Brazil; anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and waistcircumference)
were taken, and WHtRs were calculated and then divided into percentiles derived by using
Least Median of Squares (LMS) regression. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used in determining
cutoffs for obesity (BMI ≥97th percentile) and Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used
for comparing variables. The study included 8,019 adolescents from 43 schools, of whom 54.5% were female,
and 74.8% attended public schools. Boys had higher mean WHtR than girls (0.45±0.06 vs 0.44±0.05;
p=0.002) and higher WHtR at the 95th percentile (0.56 vs 0.54; p<0.05). The WHtR cutoffs according to the
WHO criteria ranged from 0.467 to 0.506 and 0.463 to 0.496 among girls and boys respectively, with high
sensitivity (82.8-95%) and specificity (84-95.5%). The WHtR was significantly associated with body adiposity
measured by BMI. Its age-specific percentiles and cutoffs may be used as additional surrogate markers of
central obesity and its co-morbidities.
Keywords
Adolescents; Central adiposity; Obesity; Waist-to-height ratio; Brazil
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