Anthropometry for the assessment of abdominal obesity and coronary risk. DOI: 10.5007/1980-0037.2011v13n3p238

The incidence of diabetes, atherosclerosis and sudden cardiac death is high among obese individuals, with significant metabolic and cardiovascular adverse effects being observed when obesity is centered in the abdominal region. The objective of this study was to determine which of the anthropometric indicators of abdominal obesity commonly used show the highest predictive power to discriminate a high coronary risk (HCR) and to propose cut-off values for their use in clinical practice and in population studies on Brazilian adults. The studies publi-shed by the research group on non-transmissible chronic diseases of the Public Health Institute (PHI), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), that compare different anthropometric indicators as predictors of HCR were analyzed. The evidence provided by the studies analyzed suggests the use of the conicity index for the evaluation of abdominal obesity in clinical practice, with cut-off values of 1.25 for men and of 1.18 and 1.22 for women ≤ 49 years and > 50 years, respectively. The waist-height ratio should be used in population studies, with the recommendation that waist should not exceed half the height of a particular subject.