Comparing the ability of anthropometric indicators in determining the prevalence of hypertension among Indian tribes

Objective We compared the ability of the selected anthropometric indicators to best predict the prevalence of hypertension among the Indian tribes. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 1431 adult participants (705 males and 726 females) between the ages of 20 and 60 years from six major tribes in India. Selected anthropometric indicators such as body mass index (BMI), waist-hip-ratio (WHR), waist-height-ratio (WHtR), percentage body fat (PBF), visceral fat (VF), minimum-waist-circumference (MWC) and sum-of-the-four skinfold thickness (SF4), along with the physiological parameters such as blood pressure were recorded. Discriminant analysis (DA) was performed to examine and compare the ability of the selected anthropometric indicators towards classifying hypertension among males, females and the total population. Results Significant independent association was observed for hypertension and similar conditions within gender and selected age-group categories. The overall hypertension prevalence among the studied tribes was observed at 12.6%. Standardized function coefficients (SFCs) in discriminant analysis revealed PBF(0.89, 0.36, and 0.76 for overall, males, and females respectively) as the most powerful discriminator of hypertension. In addition, visceral fat (0.74, 1.46, and 0.58 for overall, males and females respectively) was observed to be the other significant indicator of hypertensive blood pressure. These exploratory findings for the first time indicate fat deposition, rather than body density alone, as an emerging physiological and metabolic risk among Indian tribes. Conclusion In the context of the highly prevalent chronic undernutrition, internal fat deposition is a major classifying factor of physiological and metabolic intolerance. It also indicates the increasing trend in lifestyle changes and the associated adversities among the Indian tribes.