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Waist circumference measurement identified children at cardiometabolic risk
Some children and adolescents have abdominal obesity despite not having general obesity; therefore, measuring waist circumference in routine clinical practice would better identify those at cardiometabolic risk, according to new research.
Previous studies have demonstrated that elevated abdominal fat in normal-weight and overweight children and adolescents is a strong risk factor for CVD and premature mortality in adulthood. However, because fat distribution is not routinely measured in clinical practice, Helmut Schröder, PhD, of IMIM Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues studied the prevalence of abdominal obesity based on waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio. The study included 1,521 children in Spain aged 6 to 11 years and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.
Abdominal obesity was defined as waist-to-height ratio >0.5, waist circumference ≥90th percentile for sex and age, or sex- and age-specific waist circumference cutoff values associated with high trunk fat as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
The prevalence of general obesity, as defined by the International Obesity Task Force, was as follows: 21.5% of children were overweight and 6.6% were obese, whereas 17.4% of adolescents were overweight and 5.2% were obese.
However, the researchers found a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity than that of general obesity.
The prevalence of waist-to-height ratio >0.5 was 21.3% (24.6% boys; 17.9% girls) in children and 14.3% in adolescents (20% boys; 8.7% girls). For waist circumference ≥90th percentile for sex and age, the researchers found a prevalence of 9.4% (9.1% boys. 9.7% girls) in children and 9.6% (9.8% boys, 9.5% girls) in adolescents. For sex- and age-specific waist circumference cutoff values associated with high trunk fat as measured by DXA, the rates were 26.8% (30.6% boys, 22.9% girls) in children and 21.1% (28.8% boys, 13.7% girls) in adolescents.
“A considerable proportion of normal and overweight children were abdominally obese and, thus, at risk of obesity-associated comorbidities,” Schröder and colleagues wrote. “Our results indicate the need to incorporate waist circumference into routine clinical practice, in addition to traditional measurements of height and weight.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.