Obesity indices in relation to cardiovascular disease risk factors among young adult female students

• Published in: British journal of nutrition 2008-04, Vol.99 (4), p.918-924
• Main Authors: Farajian, Paul, Renti, Efthimia, Manios, Yannis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: abdominal fat; Absorptiometry, Photon; Adiposity; Adult; anthropometric measurements; Area Under Curve; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; Body fat; Body Fat Distribution; body mass index; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Central obesity; college students; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Females; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health risks; height; Humans; Intra-Abdominal Fat; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - physiopathology; Risk assessment; Risk Factors; Screening tools; Students; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; visceral fat; waist circumference; Waist-Hip Ratio; waist-to-hip ratio; women; Young adults
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662
• DOI: 10.1017/S000711450783741X

The objective of the present study was to compare the percentage of body fat (%BF), BMI, and central fat distribution anthropometric measures as indices of obesity and to assess the respective associations with cardiovascular risk factors in young female students. Subjects were 220 healthy Greek female students. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to estimate %BF, anthropometric measurements were obtained and blood samples were analysed for CVD risk factors. Results showed that 48·6 % of students had increased adiposity, while a considerable proportion was characterised by central fat distribution irrespective of the anthropometric index used. The proportion of subjects with at least one metabolic risk factor present was 60·4 %. Although %BF was not associated with any of the CVD risk factors, waist circumference, waist:hip ratio and waist:height ratio were all associated with CVD risk factors. Higher levels of these anthropometric variables demonstrated higher prevalence of CVD risk factors. The lack of association between %BF and CVD risk factors could be attributed to the fact that females with undesirable adiposity had a tendency for the gynaecoid type of obesity. In contrast, the present results suggest that central body fat distribution in young women may reflect increased risk due to high visceral and particularly intra-abdominal fat levels. Recent epidemiological data from Greece show a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in young adults. Therefore, assessing the risk for the presence of CVD risk factors is of particular importance. Central obesity anthropometric indices seem to be valuable screening tools for young women.