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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Body mass index and body girths as predictors of mortality in black and white men
J Stevens1, J E Keil, P F Rust
1Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Systems Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425.
Insights
Body mass index predicts mortality in Black men but not White men. Midarm circumference was protective, while abdominal circumference increased mortality risk in Black men.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular epidemiology
- Anthropometry and public health
Background:
- The Charleston Heart Study cohort provided data on Black and White men from the 1960s.
- Previous research has explored anthropometric predictors of mortality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine anthropometric measurements as predictors of all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality.
- To investigate differences in these associations between Black and White men.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of anthropometric data (body mass index, girths, circumference) from Charleston Heart Study participants.
- Vital status determination through 1988 for 98% of the cohort.
- Statistical analysis of mortality risk associated with various measurements.
Main Results:
- Body mass index predicted all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality in Black men, but not White men.
- In Black men, higher midarm circumference was associated with lower all-cause mortality, while higher abdominal circumference was linked to increased all-cause mortality.
- Circumference measurements did not predict mortality in White men.
Conclusions:
- Anthropometric predictors of mortality differ significantly between Black and White men.
- Body mass index and specific circumference measurements are important indicators of mortality risk in Black men.
Abstract:
Anthropometric measurements collected from black and white men in the 1960 (n = 946) and 1963 (n = 456) examinations of the Charleston Heart Study cohort (Charleston County, South Carolina) were examined as predictors of all cause and coronary heart disease mortality. Anthropometric measurements included body mass index, chest girth (at the third intercostal space), abdominal girth (at the umbilicus) and midarm circumference. Vital status of 98 percent of the cohort was determined through 1988. Body mass index was not associated with mortality in the white men; however, it was predictive of all cause and coronary heart disease mortality in the black men. Analyses conducted separately in the lower and upper range of body mass index in black men showed the adjusted relative hazard at the 50th versus the 10th percentile of body mass index was 0.54 for all cause mortality, but was not significant for coronary heart disease mortality; whereas the adjusted relative hazard for the 90th relative to the 50th percentile was 1.7 for coronary heart disease deaths, but not significant for deaths from all causes. The circumference measurements were not predictive of all cause or coronary heart disease mortality in the white men. In the black men, the adjusted relative hazard ratios for all cause mortality for the 85th relative to the 15th percentiles were 0.22 for midarm circumference and 2.0 for abdominal circumference.
