The use of Waist-to-Height Ratio for nutritional assessment in the first phase of adolescence

Authors

  • Ana Eliza Port Lourenço Instituto de Alimentação e Nutrição, Centro Multidisciplinar UFRJ-Macaé, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
  • Luana Silva Monteiro Instituto de Alimentação e Nutrição, Centro Multidisciplinar UFRJ-Macaé, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
  • Juliana Tonetto Viganor Instituto de Alimentação e Nutrição, Centro Multidisciplinar UFRJ-Macaé, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
  • Naiara Sperandio Instituto de Alimentação e Nutrição, Centro Multidisciplinar UFRJ-Macaé, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
  • Priscila Vieira Pontes Instituto de Alimentação e Nutrição, Centro Multidisciplinar UFRJ-Macaé, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
  • Paulo Rogério Melo Rodrigues Faculdade de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2023.69325

Keywords:

Nutrition Assessment. Adolescent. Nutrition, Public Health. Anthropometry. Waist-to-Height Ratio.

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluated the performance of the Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHR) as an additional indicator of nutritional status in the first phase of adolescence. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, developed in 2016/2017, with 148 adolescents (10 to 13 years old) from two public schools of Macaé, a municipality in Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil. We collected information on sexual maturation, weight, height, and waist circumference (WC). The Kappa Test was performed to verify the accordance among Body Mass Index-for-Age (BMI/A), WC, and WHR in relation to health risk screening. The maximum limits of sensitivity and specificity of WHR according to BMI/A were analyzed by ROC curve (Receiver Operating Characteristics). Results: Among the participants, 51.4% were girls, and more than 60% were in the first two stages of sexual maturation. The prevalence of excess weight (overweight+obesity) was 31.8%, obesity 17.6%, and high WHR 20.3%, with no difference according to sex and sexual maturation. WHR showed good agreement with excess weight (Kappa=0.707) and obesity (Kappa=0.780). The agreement between BMI/A and WC was poor. The value 0.45 was the most appropriate WHR cutoff point to identify adolescents with excess weight. Conclusions: This study suggests that WHR performs better than WC as an additional indicator of nutritional status in early adolescence. WHR brings information on central adiposity weighted by height, does not require a comparison curve, and has a cutoff point, which may facilitate screening in health services and epidemiological studies.

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Published

2023-07-04

How to Cite

Lourenço, A. E. P., Monteiro, L. S., Viganor, J. T., Sperandio, N., Pontes, P. V., & Rodrigues, P. R. M. (2023). The use of Waist-to-Height Ratio for nutritional assessment in the first phase of adolescence. DEMETRA: Food, Nutrition & Health, 18, e69325. https://doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2023.69325

Issue

Vol. 18 (2023)

Section

Food and Nutrition in Collective Health

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