Anthropometric indices of obesity as screening tools for coronary high risk among women

Resumen

To identify the cut-off points and furthermore to discriminate, among different obesity anthropometrics indicators, the best performing ones in predicting high coronary risk profile (HCR) among women of two different age groups. This cross-sectional study involved 577 women aged 30–74 year. The analyses used receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves to identify and compare the statistical significance between conicity index (C index), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC), and also to discriminate CHR between women in age groups of 30-49 and 50-74 years. A 95% confidence interval (CI) was used. Areas under ROC curve between the several obesity indicators and HCR were statistically significant and did not differ among 30-49 year old women, while among women aged 50-74 years, only areas under ROC curve using C index and WHR with HCR showed statistical significance. Cut-off points were defined for the several obesity indicators as a screening tool among women grouped into 30-49 years and 50-74 years. In women aged 30-49 years, the obesity indicators showed the same discriminating power for HCR. However, in 50-74 year-old women, the indicators were less effective discriminators and just central obesity indicators, C index and WHR, performed well for predicting HCR.