Anthropometric indices as the predictors of trunk obesity in Chinese young adults: Receiver operating characteristic analyses

Background: Trunk obesity has adverse health implications in adults, but valid and practical methods to correctly measure trunk obesity in China are insufficient. Aim: This study aimed to assess the validity of anthropometric indices as screening the predictors of trunk obesity in young Chinese adults. Subjects and methods: A total of 1946 (853 women, 1093 men) Chinese volunteers aged 20-40 years were recruited. Trunk fat mass was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and conicity index (C index) were measured or calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the validity of each anthropometric index to predict trunk adiposity. Results: BMI and WC performed better as the anthropometric indices defining trunk obesity than WHR and C index, and the areas under the ROC curves for BMI (0.94 in men and 0.89 in women) were similar to those for WC (0.93 in men and 0.88 in women). Conclusions: Both BMI and WC are more effective predictors of trunk obesity than WHR and C index in Chinese young adults.