Food & Nutrition

Arab Journal of Food & Nutrition
109. Study of Metabolic Syndrome in a Group of Adult Jordanians with Special
Reference to Anthropometric Indices of Central Obesity:
A Proposal to Use Waist to Height Ratio (2009)
Areej Zaal Al – Odat\ University of Jordan
Supervisor: Dr. Mousa Numan Ahmad
292
This study was carried out to evaluate the associations between the predictive
power of several anthropometric indices of obesity, particularly body mass index
(BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (WHpR) and waist to height ratio
(WHtR) and the risk factors accumulation as defined by the existence of two or more
disorders among hypertension, dyslipedaemia as indicated by high triglycerides (TGs)
and or low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL – C), and high fasting
blood glucose (FBG); each of which is a component of metabolic syndrome (MS) in a
sample of adult Jordanians living in Amman. The associations between these
anthropometric indices of obesity and the individual components of MS were also
evaluated. Partial correlation analysis was used to evaluate the associations between
the studied variables, whereas the predictive power and the optimal cut off point of
each index associated with increased risk of MS were determined by using the
operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis.
In this study 500 subjects (212 men and 288 women) aged 20 – 85 years were
selected from among the visitors attending several family clinics in Amman. Weight,
height, BMI, WC, WHpR and WHtR were measured for the purpose of
anthropometric evaluation of obesity. MS risk factors as defined by the International
Diabetes Federation (IDF) were determined. These factors included: blood pressure
(systolic and diastolic), FBG, TGs and HDL – C.
Partial correlation coefficients (r) between WHpR and MS risk factors were the
strongest among the other obesity indices, followed by WC and then WHtR. BMI
exhibited very weak associations with these risk factors. WHpR correlated
significantly with FBG (r = 0.027, p < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (r = 0.20, p <
0.01), TGs (r = 0.24, p < 0.01) and HDL – C (r = - 0.39, p < 0.01). the respective
correlation coefficients between WC or WHtR and each MS risk factors were: FBG ( r
= 0.15, p < 0.001 or r = 0.13, p < 0.010), systolic blood pressure (r = 0.16, p < 0.01 or r
= 0.11, p < 0.05), TGs (r = 0.20, p < 0.01 or r = 0.14, p < 0.01), and HDL – C (r = -
0.25, p < 0.01 or r = -0.11, p < 0.01).
Area under the curve (AUC) of ROC analysis for identifying of MS (two or
more risk factors) was the highest for WHpR (AUC = 0.71), flowed byWHtR (AUC =
0.67) and WC (AUC = 0.64), and then the BMi (AUC = 0.59) in men. Wherease in
women WHpR, WHtR, and WC were almost equal (AUC = 0.76, 0.75, and 0.74
respectively0, followed by BMI (AUC = 0.76). Optimal cut off points of BMI of BMI,
WC, WHpR for MS diagnosis in men were 28.4 kg / m 2 , 97.8 cm and 0.89,
respectively. In women, these were 30.3 kg / m 2 , 95.6 cm, and 0.84, respectively.
Volume 291 11, No. 25, 2011