Comparing Height-Adjusted Waist Circumference Indices: The Fels Longitudinal Study

Area of Science:

• Anthropometry
• Human growth and development
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Waist circumference (WC) adjustment for height is increasingly recognized as important.
• No standardized method currently exists for indexing WC by height.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare three standard methods of indexing WC by height (height, root-height, height-squared).
• To evaluate these indices against age-specific optimal indices.
• To determine the most suitable index for different age groups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 722 males and 746 females in the Fels Longitudinal Study.
• Calculated three standard WC indices and an optimal index from ages 2 to 70.
• Assessed index suitability using Pearson correlations.

Main Results:

• Waist-to-height ratio is suitable for specific childhood age ranges but not adults.
• Root-height indexing is effective for older adolescents and adults, but not younger children.
• Height-squared indexing was found to be unsuitable across all age groups.

Conclusions:

• No single index is universally optimal for adjusting waist circumference for height.
• Root-height is suitable for teenage children and adults.
• Waist-to-height ratio is generally suitable for children, while height-squared is not recommended.