![](/imgs/covers/hn_cover.jpg)
|
The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition
icddr,b
ISSN: 1606-0997 EISSN: 1606-0997
Vol. 36, No. 1, 2017, pp. 1-7
|
Bioline Code: hn17011
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
|
|
The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2017, pp. 1-7
en |
Obesity indices predict hypertension among indigenous adults in Krau Wildlife Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia
Chua, Ee Yin; Zalilah, Mohd Shariff; Haemamalar, Karppaya; Sulaiman, Sulaiman & Geeta, Appannah
Abstract
Background: The disease burden of indigenous peoples has been augmented by the rising prevalence of obesity
and hypertension in this population. This study assessed the ability of obesity indices to predict hypertension among
indigenous adults of Peninsular Malaysia.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 482 adults (223 men, 259 women) aged ≥18 years old were measured for body
mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-height ratio (WHtR), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and blood pressure.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the predictive ability of obesity indices
for hypertension in men and women. Gender-specific logistic regression analyses were done to examine the
association between obesity, defined by BMI, WC, WHtR and WHR, and hypertension.
Results: Prevalence of hypertension was 25.5%. Overall, WHtR was the best predictor of the presence of
hypertension, in both men and women. The optimal WHtR cut-off values for hypertension were 0.45 and 0.52
in men and women, respectively. Obese adults with WHtR ≥0.5 had about two times increased odds of
having hypertension compared to non-obese adults.
Conclusions: WHtR may serve as a simple and inexpensive screening tool to identify individuals with
hypertension in this relatively difficult to reach population.
Keywords
Obesity indices; Hypertension; Indigenous peoples; Waist-height ratio; Predictor
|
|
© Copyright 2017 - The Author(s) Alternative site location: http://www.jhpn.net
|
|