Waist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary school
Abstract Background Visceral obesity in children increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. To evaluate overweight children, in addition to Body Mass Index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) can be used to predict cardiometabolic risk. The goal of this study is to describe WHtR in a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2017-06-01
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| Series: | Italian Journal of Pediatrics |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13052-017-0372-x |
| _version_ | 1828771226833649664 |
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| author | Francesca Santomauro Chiara Lorini Francesca Pieralli Giuditta Niccolai Paola Picciolli Stefania Vezzosi Guglielmo Bonaccorsi |
| author_facet | Francesca Santomauro Chiara Lorini Francesca Pieralli Giuditta Niccolai Paola Picciolli Stefania Vezzosi Guglielmo Bonaccorsi |
| author_sort | Francesca Santomauro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Visceral obesity in children increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. To evaluate overweight children, in addition to Body Mass Index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) can be used to predict cardiometabolic risk. The goal of this study is to describe WHtR in a sample of Tuscan children. Methods A sample of children living in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, was measured for the following anthropometric parameters: weight, height, and waist circumference. BMI and WHtR were calculated. For the latter indicator, a threshold of 0.5 was considered as a cardiovascular risk predictor. The subjects were classified into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese using Cole’s cut-offs. Results The number of children enrolled were 1575 (821 males; 754 females), aged 6–11 years. Of them, 64.3% were normal weight, 4.9% underweight, 22.3% overweight, and 8.5% obese. Moreover, 12.8% had a WHtR ≥0.5 (85.7% males; 88.7% females). The average WHtR value was 0.45 ± 0.045, and was significantly different as per gender (F = 0.45 vs. M = 0.46). WHtR was significantly correlated with BMI (r = 0.766). Conclusion The average WHtR value was in line with previous studies conducted among children of similar age groups. Large-scale perspective studies are needed to validate the Italian WHtR cut-offs for children. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:21:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8c76bd7107d94e7ab2ded89760bca32b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1824-7288 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:21:26Z |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Italian Journal of Pediatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-8c76bd7107d94e7ab2ded89760bca32b2022-12-22T01:02:53ZengBMCItalian Journal of Pediatrics1824-72882017-06-014311610.1186/s13052-017-0372-xWaist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary schoolFrancesca Santomauro0Chiara Lorini1Francesca Pieralli2Giuditta Niccolai3Paola Picciolli4Stefania Vezzosi5Guglielmo Bonaccorsi6Department of Health Science, University of FlorenceDepartment of Health Science, University of FlorenceSchool of Specialization in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of FlorenceSchool of Specialization in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of FlorenceLocal Health Unit Toscana CentroLocal Health Unit Toscana CentroDepartment of Health Science, University of FlorenceAbstract Background Visceral obesity in children increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. To evaluate overweight children, in addition to Body Mass Index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) can be used to predict cardiometabolic risk. The goal of this study is to describe WHtR in a sample of Tuscan children. Methods A sample of children living in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, was measured for the following anthropometric parameters: weight, height, and waist circumference. BMI and WHtR were calculated. For the latter indicator, a threshold of 0.5 was considered as a cardiovascular risk predictor. The subjects were classified into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese using Cole’s cut-offs. Results The number of children enrolled were 1575 (821 males; 754 females), aged 6–11 years. Of them, 64.3% were normal weight, 4.9% underweight, 22.3% overweight, and 8.5% obese. Moreover, 12.8% had a WHtR ≥0.5 (85.7% males; 88.7% females). The average WHtR value was 0.45 ± 0.045, and was significantly different as per gender (F = 0.45 vs. M = 0.46). WHtR was significantly correlated with BMI (r = 0.766). Conclusion The average WHtR value was in line with previous studies conducted among children of similar age groups. Large-scale perspective studies are needed to validate the Italian WHtR cut-offs for children.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13052-017-0372-xWaist-to-height ratioPercentilesBody mass indexWaist circumferenceChildren |
| spellingShingle | Francesca Santomauro Chiara Lorini Francesca Pieralli Giuditta Niccolai Paola Picciolli Stefania Vezzosi Guglielmo Bonaccorsi Waist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary school Italian Journal of Pediatrics Waist-to-height ratio Percentiles Body mass index Waist circumference Children |
| title | Waist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary school |
| title_full | Waist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary school |
| title_fullStr | Waist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary school |
| title_full_unstemmed | Waist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary school |
| title_short | Waist-to-height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of Tuscan children in primary school |
| title_sort | waist to height ratio and its associations with body mass index in a sample of tuscan children in primary school |
| topic | Waist-to-height ratio Percentiles Body mass index Waist circumference Children |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13052-017-0372-x |
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