Four anthropometric indices and cardiovascular risk factors in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between four anthropometric measurements and cardiovascular risk factors in Taiwan. DESIGN: The data was collected from four nationwide health screen centers in Taiwan from 1998 to 1999. SUBJECTS: A total of 38 556 subjects: 18 280 men and 20 276 women, mean age = 37.0 +/- 11.1 y. None had any known major systemic diseases or were currently on medication. MEASUREMENTS: Individual body weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol level, low-density and high-density-lipoprotein, cholesterol level) were assessed and their relationships were examined. RESULTS: In both sexes, with increasing body mass index (BMI), WC, WHpR (waist-to-hip ratio) and WHtR (waist-to-height ratio), there were significantly higher risks of hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, diabetes and dyslipidemia (P < 0.001) in almost all age groups. In the age groups older than 65, however, the relationships were statistically inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS: In Taiwan, the four anthropometric indexes (BMI, WC, WHpR, WHtR) are closely related to cardiovascular risk factors.