[Conicity index as a predictor of changes in the lipid profile of adolescents in a city in Northeast Brazil].

The objective was to evaluate the conicity index (C Index) as a predictor of changes in the lipid profile of adolescents and to establish its cutoff points. This was a cross-sectional study in 774 adolescents of both sexes (55% girls), 10 to 14 years of age. C Index was calculated according to the formula proposed by Valdez, considering body mass, height, and waist circumference (WC). Changes in the adolescents' lipid profile were defined according to one of the following conditions: elevated levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The predictive power of the conicity index for altered lipid profile and its cutoff points were determined by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. The C Index was a good predictor of lipid alterations in adolescents, emphasizing triglycerides in boys 10 to 11 years of age (ROC = 0.67; 95%CI: 0.50-0.85) and 12 to 14 (ROC = 0.69; 95%CI: 0.59-0.80), and in girls 10 to 11 years (ROC = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.50-0.79); and LDL in girls 10 to 11 years (ROC = 0.70; 95%CI: 0.59-0.80) and boys (ROC = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.55-0.75) and girls (ROC = 0.62; 95%CI: 0.50-0.75) 12 to 14 years. The cutoff points for the C Index varied from 1.12 to 1.16 between boys and girls. The C Index can be used to predict lipid alterations, and its cutoff points can be used to screen adolescents for risk of alterations in lipid profile.