[Development of abdominal and gluteal circumference (waist and hips) in adults]

Abdominal and gluteal (waist and hip) circumferences are accepted as indicators of central fat distribution and abdominal (waist) circumference is generally regarded as a simple anthropometric measure of visceral fat distribution.

In the years 1987-1988 there was carried out an anthropometric survey on the region of former Czechoslovakia. Crossover study was performed in 16,400 of adult men and women aged from 20 to more than 70 years on the basis of the three level random sample. Except for many other anthropometric measures, abdominal and gluteal (waist and hip) circumferences were assessed according to Martin (M62/1; M64/1). The results show that gluteal (hip) circumference is longer than a abdominal (waist) circumference in adulthood similarly as in childhood. Abdominal circumference is larger in men than in women in agreement with sexual dimorphism. Abdominal circumference is not significantly different in Czech and Slovak men and Czech and Slovak women. Nevertheless, abdominal circumference in Slovak women increases to maximum at the beginning of their fifth decade and then decreases concurrently with lowering of BMI. In Czech women increase in abdominal circumference lasts till seventh decade. This difference can result from the earlier involution in Slovak women. Maximal intersexual difference is found at the beginning of the third decade (21-25 years) and at the end of follow-up in both populations.

Gluteal (hip) circumference is not significantly different in men and women to the half of the forth decade in both Czech and Slovak populations. In following decades it is markedly longer in women probably due to the higher accumulation of subcutaneous fat. In the second part of seventh decade in Czech population and about five years earlier in the Slovak group the average circumference in men decreases. This change can be caused by the age involution of adipose tissue. The examined data were constructed into percentile nets of the abdominal and gluteal circumferences for both men and women and Czech and Slovak populations.