Anthropometric Measurements for Prediction of Metabolic Risk among Chinese Adults in Pudong New Area of Shanghai

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated the ability of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) to predict the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of these anthropometries for metabolic abnormalities and related diseases in Chinese adults. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2 477 men and 3 107 women at 20-79 years old who were randomly selected from Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China, through a multistage sampling process. Anthropometric variables and blood pressure were measured according to a standardized protocol, and a fasting blood sample was collected from each subject for biochemical analysis. Results: Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was observed to increase with increasing BMI, WC, WHR and WHtR in both sexes. Participants with any metabolic abnormality had a higher body size than those without. The associations of anthropometries with each metabolic factor were significant and equal for BMI, WC, WHR and WHtR. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) ranged from 0.59 to 0.72 across the 4 anthropometries in predicting individual and clusters of metabolic factors. However, none of the 4 anthropometries identified newly-diagnosed T2DM or hypertension with a high sensitivity or specificity. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the independent use of BMI, WC, WHR, or WHtR may not be an effective tool to predict metabolic factors and related chronic diseases in Chinese adults.