Optimal BMI cut-off values for predicting diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia in a multi-ethnic population

• Published in: Public health nutrition 2013-03, Vol.16 (3), p.453-459
• Main Authors: Cheong, Kee Chee, Yusoff, Ahmad F, Ghazali, Sumarni M, Lim, Kuang H, Selvarajah, Sharmini, Haniff, Jamaiyah, Khor, Geok L, Shahar, Suzana, Rahman, Jamalludin Abd, Zainuddin, Ahmad A, Mustafa, Amal N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Asian People; Assessment and methodology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood pressure; Body Mass Index; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Confidence intervals; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus - etiology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Disorders of blood lipids. Hyperlipoproteinemia; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Ethnicity; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Female; Gender; Health risks; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia - etiology; Hypertension; Hypertension - etiology; Logistic Models; Malaysia - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Medical screening; Metabolic diseases; Metabolic disorders; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Obesity; Obesity - complications; Obesity - diagnosis; Obesity - epidemiology; Odds Ratio; Overweight; Questionnaires; Reference Values; Risk Factors; Sex Factors
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980012002911

To determine the optimal cut-offs of BMI for Malaysian adults. Population-based, cross-sectional study. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine the cut-off values of BMI with optimum sensitivity and specificity for the detection of three cardiovascular risk factors: diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia. Gender-specific logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between BMI and these cardiovascular risk factors. All fourteen states in Malaysia. Malaysian adults aged ≥18 years (n 32 703) who participated in the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006. The optimal BMI cut-off value for predicting the presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia or at least one of these cardiovascular risk factors varied from 23.3 to 24.1 kg/m2 for men and from 24.0 to 25.4 kg/m2 for women. In men and women, the odds ratio for having diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia or at least one cardiovascular risk factor increased significantly as BMI cut-off point increased. Our findings indicate that BMI cut-offs of 23.0 kg/m2 in men and 24.0 kg/m2 in women are appropriate for classification of overweight. We suggest that these cut-offs can be used by health professionals to identify individuals for cardiovascular risk screening and weight management programmes.