Developing equations to predict waist circumference measurements based on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute method from the World Health Organization method

• Published in: Annals of epidemiology Vol. 53; pp. 21 - 26.e1
• Main Authors: Ostchega, Yechiam, Zhang, Guangyu, Gu, Qiuping, Isfahani, Neda Sarafrazi, Hughes, Jeffery P., Schall, Joan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Adult; Body Weights and Measures - methods; Female; Humans; Male; Measurement; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (U.S.); NHANES; Nutrition Surveys; Obesity, Abdominal - classification; Sensitivity and Specificity; United States; Waist Circumference; World Health Organization; Young Adult; United States; Measurement; Waist circumference; NHANES
• ISSN: 1047-2797; 1873-2585
• DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2020.08.013

The purpose of the study was to convert waist circumference (WC) measurements obtained by the World Health Organization (WHO-WC) method to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI-WC) method. During 2016, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants aged 20 years and older had two different WC measurements taken (n = 2405). The mean differences in the WC between the NHLBI-WC and WHO-WC measurements were calculated. Multivariable prediction models were developed to predict the NHLBI-WC from the measured WHO-WC. Sensitivity and specificity of the abdominal obesity classification (AOC) were calculated for the measured WHO-WC and the predicted NHLBI-WC. Kappa coefficients were calculated to evaluate the agreements between the AOC derived from the NHLBI-WC and from the WHO-WC and the predicted NHLBI-WC. The mean differences between the NHLBI-WC and WHO-WC were 0.8 cm for males and 3.2 cm for females (P ≤ .05). Sensitivity of the AOC for the measured WHO-WC was 93% for males and 87% for females, and the specificity of the AOC was 97% or greater for both genders. Sensitivity and specificity of the AOC for the predicted NHLBI-WC were 95% or greater for both genders. The AOC derived from the predicted NHLBI-WC had higher agreements for both genders. The prediction equations provided may be used to predict the NHLBI-WC from the WHO-WC for comparability in WC estimates across studies.