A Comparison of Waist-to-Hip Ratio Cutoff Points in a Large Sample of Southern Iranian Adults with Two Standard Procedures and Asian Studies

Background: One of the popular indicators of developing serious health conditions is the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). The appropriate WHR cutoff points are reported differently in the US department of health and human services (US-DHHS), the world health organization (WHO), and the Asian studies. Objectives: The current study aimed at comparing WHR cutoff points for a large sample of Southern Iranian adults with 2 standard procedures and Asian studies. Methods: In the current cross sectional study, data were collected from 16 341 adults within the age range of 20 to 70 years. Body compositions were determined by the bioelectrical impedance analysis method (BIA). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power (PPV), negative predictive power (NPV), and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to meet the objectives of the investigation Results: The sensitivity and NPV in both classifications were higher in females compared to males. For females and males in both classifications, increase in age was associated with increase in the sensitivity and NPV. In all, the WHO classification was not a good indicator of obesity in males. The US-DHHC was the best to correctly classify the obese or non-obese subjects in various age groups. Conclusions: The suitable cutoff points for Iranian males and females were 0.88 and 0.83, respectively similar to those reported in Southeastern Asian studies. The recommended cutoff point for Iranian males was similar to those reported for Arab males; but the recommended cutoff point for Iranian females was different from that of Arab females. Both the WHO-WHR and US-DHHS classifications were effective to detect obesity among all females. Neither was effective to detect obesity among males under 40 years old.