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Diagnostic value of anthropometric indicators for overweight and obesity. Introduction

Abstract:

Obesity is defined by an excess of fat mass, however, there are other anthropometric indicators that can be useful for the diagnosis of overweight or obesity; Objetive. To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and body shape index (ABSI) for the diagnosis of overweight or obesity in an adult population of Ecuador. Materials and methods. An observational cross-sectional study was carried out in which 253 subjects aged between 20 and 60 years participated. Weight, height, waist circumference and percentage body fat (PBF) were measured. The PBF was correlated with BMI, WC and ABSI and the sensitivity and specificity of these indicators were established for the diagnosis of overweight or obesity with ROC curves. Results. The PBF was lower in men than in women (30.09 vs 41.87), ABSI and CC were higher in men than in women (0.079 vs 0.075) and (99.76 vs 91.25) respectively. A strong positive correlation (≥0.75) was found between % body fat and BMI and WC. On the ROC curve, the area under the highest curve is observed for BMI (0.949), while the lowest area is observed for ABSI (0.395). Conclusion. The BMI is the indicator with the highest diagnostic precision of overweight or obesity. ABSI would not be a useful indicator in the diagnosis of overweight or obesity.