Journal of Health Informatics and Statistics (JHIS) 2014; 39(2): 1-12
 

Measures of Adiposity in the Identification of Metabolic Abnormalities in Middle-aged and Older Korean Adults

Ji Hye Park1), Hyeon Chang Kim2)†, Ju-Mi Lee2), Dong Phil Choi1), Bo Mi Song1), Seung Won Lee1), Hansol Choi1), Joo Young Lee2), Il Suh2)
 

Abstract

Objectives: We investigated anthropometric measures of obesity, including body mass index (BMI),
waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in their associations with metabolic
abnormalities in Korean adults.

Methods: Study participants were 1,399 male and 2,325 female community dwellers aged 40-79 years.
Assessed metabolic variables included blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin resistance, triglycerides,
HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase. Associations
of anthropometric measures per 1-SD increase with each metabolic abnormality were assessed using
logistic regression analysis.

Results: The adiposity measurements were significantly associated with all of the metabolic abnormalities,
only except for with LDL cholesterol in men. In men, hypertension was more strongly associated withBMI
(OR=1.58) than WC (OR=1.40) or WHtR (OR=1.44) or WHtR (OR=1.75); and hypertriglyceridemia was
more closely associated with WC (OR=1.91) than BMI (OR=1.79) or WHtR (OR=1.87). In women, three
adiposity measurements had similar association with metabolic abnormalities.

Conclusions: Simple anthropometric measurements can be used to screen high-risk individuals of
metabolic abnormalities in Korean men and women, although certain obesity indicators are more strongly
with a specific kind of metabolic abnormality in men.

Keywords: Metabolic abnormalities, Anthropometric measures, Body mass index, Waist circumference,
Waist-to-height ratio