Cut-off points of anthropometric markers associated with hypertension and diabetes in Peru: Demographic and health survey 2018

Objectives. To determine the optimal anthropometric cut-off points for predicting the likelihood ratios of hypertension and diabetes in the Peruvian population. Design. A cross-sectional study was performed to establish cut-off values for body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference [WC], waist-height ratio [WHtR], and Conicity index [C-index]) associated with increased risk of hypertension and diabetes. Youden's index (YIndex), area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were considered. Settings. Peruvian households. Participants. Peruvian population over the age of 18 years. Results. 31,553 subjects were included; 57% being women. Among the women, 53.06% belonged to the 25 to 44-year-old age group [mean age: 41.66 in men and 40.02 in women]. The mean BMI, WHtR and C-index values were higher in women 27.49, 0.61, 1.30 respectively; while the mean WC value was higher in men 92.12 cm (SD±11.28). The best predictors of hypertension in men were the WHtR (AUC=0.64) and the C-index (AUC=0.64) with an optimal cut-off point of 0.57 (YIndex=0.284) and 1.301 (YIndex=0.284), respectively. Women showed an AUC of 0.63 and 0.61 in the WHtR and C-index, respectively, with an optimal cut-off of 0.61 (YIndex=0.236) and 1.323 (YIndex=0.225). The best predictor for diabetes was the C-index: with an AUC=0.67 and an optimal cut-off of 1.337 (YIndex=0.346) for men, and an AUC=0.66 and optimal cut-off of 1.313 (YIndex=0.319) for women. Conclusions. Our findings show that in Peruvian adults, the WHtR and the C-index have the strongest association with hypertension in both sexes. Likewise, the C-index had the strongest association with diabetes.