Association between anthropometric indicators and dyslipidemia in adolescents and young adults in the city of Caracas

Traditionally, some anthropometric indices have been used for the diagnosis of excess weight in children and adolescents, which have shown some disadvantages for which other indicators have been postulated. In this sense, it is proposed to estimate the level of association between anthropometric indicators and the presence of dyslipidemia in adolescents and young adults. An observational, descriptive cross-sectional investigation was carried out in 123 adolescents (68,2% women, media age 14,5 years) and 122 young adults (70,5% women, media age 21 years) from the city of Caracas. Body Mass Indices (BMI), Waist-Height Ratio (WHR), Abdominal Body Mass Index (BMAI) and Tri-Ponderal Mass Index (TMI) were calculated. A blood sample was obtained by venipuncture, fasting for 12 to 14 hours, from which Total Cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein and Triglycerides were quantified. The low-density lipoprotein concentration was calculated by the FriedEwald formula, as well as the LDL-C / HDL-C index and the LogTg / HDL index. Univariate and multivariate descriptive statistics were used for the analysis and interpretation of the data. The results revealed that the BMI and TMI anthropometric indices did not show better performance in predicting dyslipidemia than the BMI, Waist Circumference (WC) and WHR indicators in adolescents and young adults. The anthropometric indicators of abdominal adiposity, WC and WHR, tended to present higher OR, AUC, sensitivity and specificity regardless of the study group. In general, the capacity of the anthropometric indicators evaluated to predict the presence of dyslipidemia in young adults was adequate, a situation that did not occur in adolescents.