Waist Circumference as a Predictor of Hypertension

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      =0DW= aist circumferences (WCs) =B394 cm for men and =B380 cm for women = (activity level I) and =B3102 cm for men and =B388 cm for women = (activity level II) have been suggested as limits for health promotion = purposes to alert the general public to the need for weight loss, = wrote researchers who examined the ability of these cut-off points to = correctly identify subjects with or without = hypertension.=0D=0D

      =0DIncluded in the study were subjects from 5 = specific sites (Nigeria, Cameroon, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Barbados). = In addition to testing the established cut-off points, the researchers = determined population- and gender-specific abdominal adiposity cut-off = points for epidemiological identification of risk of hypertension.=0D=0D=0DCompared with the specific cut-off points estimated for each = population, the established WC cut-off points for hypertension did = poorly. The researchers found that increased risk of hypertension was = associated with different values of WC in different populations: in = men, WC cut-off points of 76, 81, 80, 83, and 87 cm were the most = sensitive in predicting hypertension (Nigeria, Cameroon, Jamaica, St. = Lucia, and Barbados, respectively), while the corresponding cut-off = points 72, 82, 85, 86, and 88 cm were highly specific among = women.=0D=0D

      =0DFor the purpose of health promotion, the = decision on what cut-off points to use must be made by considering = other additional factors including overall impact on health due to = intervention (e.g. weight reduction) and potential burden on health = services if a low cut-off point is employed, the authors wrote. = There is a need to develop abdominal adiposity cut-off points = associated with increased risks for cardiovascular diseases in = different societies, especially for those populations where the = distribution of obesity and associated risk factors tends to very = different from those of the technologically advanced nations. = (Okosun I, et al. Int J Obes = 2000;24:180-6.)=0D

     

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