OBJECTIVE: The waist circumference (WC) cut-off point for abdominal obesity is gender and ethnic-group specific. The aim of the study was to explore the best WC cut-point for identifying cardiovascular risk factors clustering among Chinese adults. METHOD: The data from 15,628 Chinese adults aged > or = 25 years in 1994 National Diabetes Mellitus Survey were reanalyzed. Odds ratios for different WC categories (stratified in units of 5 cm) were calculated with the first stratum (WC < 70 cm) as reference category. Receiver Operator Characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was employed to determine the optimal WC cut-point for detecting multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalences of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia were higher among higher WC categories for both men and women. Odds ratios for metabolic syndrome significantly increased from the WC category of > or = 85 cm in man (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.80 - 2.39) and > or = 80 cm in women (OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.41 - 1.97). The ROC analysis showed that the optimal WC cut-point was 85 cm in men with the sensitivity of 60.79% and specificity of 69.66%, and 80 cm in women with sensitivity of 59.88% and specificity of 65.35%. CONCLUSION: The best WC cut-point is 85 cm in men and 80 cm in women for identifying Chinese adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
OBJECTIVE: The waist circumference (WC) cut-off point for abdominal obesity is gender and ethnic-group specific. The aim of the study was to explore the best WC cut-point for identifying cardiovascular risk factors clustering among Chinese adults. METHOD: The data from 15,628 Chinese adults aged > or = 25 years in 1994 National Diabetes Mellitus Survey were reanalyzed. Odds ratios for different WC categories (stratified in units of 5 cm) were calculated with the first stratum (WC < 70 cm) as reference category. Receiver Operator Characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was employed to determine the optimal WC cut-point for detecting multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalences of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia were higher among higher WC categories for both men and women. Odds ratios for metabolic syndrome significantly increased from the WC category of > or = 85 cm in man (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.80 - 2.39) and > or = 80 cm in women (OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.41 - 1.97). The ROC analysis showed that the optimal WC cut-point was 85 cm in men with the sensitivity of 60.79% and specificity of 69.66%, and 80 cm in women with sensitivity of 59.88% and specificity of 65.35%. CONCLUSION: The best WC cut-point is 85 cm in men and 80 cm in women for identifying Chinese adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease.