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

Objective: 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), 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 calculated. Setting: Peruvian households. Participants: Peruvian population over the age of 18 years. Results: A total of 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.