Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students
ObjectiveAn accurate BMI classification system specific to the population is of great value in health promotion. Existing studies have shown that the BMI recommended cut-off value for adults is not suitable for college students. Thus, the current study aims to identify optimal BMI cutoff points in o...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1017645/full |
| _version_ | 1817975640934055936 |
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| author | Zheng Wang Zheng Wang Jinjin Wang Yiqin Shi Qun Fang Qiang Tan Mingming Wang Jingping Li |
| author_facet | Zheng Wang Zheng Wang Jinjin Wang Yiqin Shi Qun Fang Qiang Tan Mingming Wang Jingping Li |
| author_sort | Zheng Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveAn accurate BMI classification system specific to the population is of great value in health promotion. Existing studies have shown that the BMI recommended cut-off value for adults is not suitable for college students. Thus, the current study aims to identify optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students.MethodsAnthropometric assessments were performed on 6,798 college students (Male = 3,408, Female = 3,390) from three universities in Jiangsu, China. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to establish the standardized models to estimate anthropometry for male and female students. Further indices were derived from the assessments, including body mass index (BMI), relative fat mass (RFM), obesity degree percentage (OBD%), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), and body fat percentage (BF%). The anthropometric index with the highest correlation to the models for male and female students were selected as the gold standard for obesity screening. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to evaluate diagnostic value of each anthropometric index according to the area under curve (AUC). Youden index maximum points determined the optimal cutoff points with the highest accuracy in obesity screening.ResultsThe anthropometric models for both male and female students consisted of three factors. Vervaeck index was selected as the gold standard for obesity screening. By comparing AUC of the anthropometric indices, we found BMI provided the highest value in obesity screening. Further analysis based on Youden index identified the optimal BMI of 23.53 kg/m2 for male and 23.41 kg/m2 for female. Compared with the universal standard recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), the adjusted BMI criteria were characterized by high sensitivity as well as specificity.ConclusionBMI is the most appropriate anthropometric index of obesity screening for Chinese college students. The optimal cutoff points were lower than the WHO reference. Evidence substantiated the adjusted BMI criteria as an effective approach to improve accuracy of obesity screening for this population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:52:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-199ad34b10654d9a885c6450f5d164a3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:52:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-199ad34b10654d9a885c6450f5d164a32022-12-22T02:28:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-11-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.10176451017645Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college studentsZheng Wang0Zheng Wang1Jinjin Wang2Yiqin Shi3Qun Fang4Qiang Tan5Mingming Wang6Jingping Li7Soochow College, Soochow University, Suzhou, ChinaSchool of Physical Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, ChinaDepartment of Physical Education, Kangda College, Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, ChinaSoochow College, Soochow University, Suzhou, ChinaSchool of Physical Education, Qingdao University, Qingdao, ChinaSchool of Physical Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, ChinaLogistics Management Division, Soochow University, Suzhou, ChinaSoochow College, Soochow University, Suzhou, ChinaObjectiveAn accurate BMI classification system specific to the population is of great value in health promotion. Existing studies have shown that the BMI recommended cut-off value for adults is not suitable for college students. Thus, the current study aims to identify optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students.MethodsAnthropometric assessments were performed on 6,798 college students (Male = 3,408, Female = 3,390) from three universities in Jiangsu, China. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to establish the standardized models to estimate anthropometry for male and female students. Further indices were derived from the assessments, including body mass index (BMI), relative fat mass (RFM), obesity degree percentage (OBD%), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), and body fat percentage (BF%). The anthropometric index with the highest correlation to the models for male and female students were selected as the gold standard for obesity screening. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to evaluate diagnostic value of each anthropometric index according to the area under curve (AUC). Youden index maximum points determined the optimal cutoff points with the highest accuracy in obesity screening.ResultsThe anthropometric models for both male and female students consisted of three factors. Vervaeck index was selected as the gold standard for obesity screening. By comparing AUC of the anthropometric indices, we found BMI provided the highest value in obesity screening. Further analysis based on Youden index identified the optimal BMI of 23.53 kg/m2 for male and 23.41 kg/m2 for female. Compared with the universal standard recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), the adjusted BMI criteria were characterized by high sensitivity as well as specificity.ConclusionBMI is the most appropriate anthropometric index of obesity screening for Chinese college students. The optimal cutoff points were lower than the WHO reference. Evidence substantiated the adjusted BMI criteria as an effective approach to improve accuracy of obesity screening for this population.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1017645/fullcollege studentsBMI cutoff pointsROC curveobesityChina |
| spellingShingle | Zheng Wang Zheng Wang Jinjin Wang Yiqin Shi Qun Fang Qiang Tan Mingming Wang Jingping Li Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students Frontiers in Psychology college students BMI cutoff points ROC curve obesity China |
| title | Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students |
| title_full | Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students |
| title_fullStr | Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students |
| title_short | Optimal BMI cutoff points in obesity screening for Chinese college students |
| title_sort | optimal bmi cutoff points in obesity screening for chinese college students |
| topic | college students BMI cutoff points ROC curve obesity China |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1017645/full |
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