Abdominal obesity in Japanese-Brazilians: which measure is best for predicting all-cause and cardiovascular mortality?

• Published in: Cadernos de saúde pública Vol. 27; no. 10; pp. 1986 - 1996
• Main Authors: Bevilacqua, Marselle Rodrigues, Gimeno, Suely Godoy Agostinho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz 01-10-2011
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anthropometry; Body Mass Index; Brazil - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Female; Humans; Hypertension - etiology; Hypertension - mortality; Japan - ethnology; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity, Abdominal - complications; Obesity, Abdominal - mortality; Predictive Value of Tests; Prevalence; PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH; Risk Factors; Waist-Hip Ratio; Brazil; Japan; Antropometria; Mortalidade; Anthropometry; Abdominal Obesity; Mortality; Obesidade Abdominal
• ISSN: 0102-311X; 1678-4464; 1678-4464; 0102-311X
• DOI: 10.1590/S0102-311X2011001000012

This study aimed to verify which anthropometric measure of abdominal obesity was the best predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Japanese-Brazilians. The study followed 1,581 subjects for 14 years. Socio-demographic, lifestyle, metabolic, and anthropometric data were collected. The dependent variable was vital status (alive or dead) at the end of the study, and the independent variable was presence of abdominal obesity according to different baseline measures. The mortality rate was estimated, and Poisson regression was used to obtain mortality rate ratios with abdominal obesity, adjusted simultaneously for the other variables. The mortality rate was 10.68/thousand person-years. Male gender, age > 60 years, and arterial hypertension were independent risk factors for mortality. The results indicate that prevalence of abdominal obesity was high among Japanese-Brazilians, and that waist/hip ratio was the measure with the greatest capacity to predict mortality (especially cardiovascular mortality) in this group.