Anthropometric obesity indices in relation to age and gender in Japanese adults

The body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio and skinfolds (near-umbilical and iliac areas) in three age groups (35-44, 45-54 and 55-64 years) were compared in 3117 men and 997 women in Tokyo. In both genders, height was significantly shorter, while the waist to hip ratio and waist to height ratio were significantly higher, in the older groups. In the men, there were no significant differences in BMI and waist circumference among the three age groups, but the iliac skinfold was significantly thinner in each older group, and the paraumbilical skinfold was thinner in the group aged 55-64 years. In the women, the paraumbilical skinfold was significantly thicker in each older group, while waist circumference and the iliac skinfold were significantly larger or thicker in the group aged 55-64 years, and BMI was larger in the groups aged 45-54 and 55-64 years. There were age-related discrepancies between BMI and other obesity indices in the different genders, in that only the waist to height ratio and waist to hip ratio increased with age in both genders.