New Anthropometric Indices as Determinants of Overwieght and Predictors of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disability in Women.

Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and physical disability but modest overweight is less properly quantified and investigated. Objective of this work is to critically assess the Body Mass Index (BMI) and other anthropometric measurements to define overweight in addition to obesity, as overweight itself influences hypertension and other diseases which are revealed by the present investigation. For the diagnosis and prevention of the complication of obesity earlier diagnosis and prevention of overweight is more essential than to treat obesity. Two thousand women aged between 20-60 years were investigated. Their height, weight, chest circumference, abdomen circumference, hip circumference and mid arm circumference were measured. Besides blood sugar (fasting) and cholesterol (fasting) in all and lipid profile (fasting) in 200 women were estimated and their E.C.G. changes were also assessed. Their physical efficiencies were also tested computing all these data following guidelines of weight for adult women are proposed. Maximum Body Weight (M.B.W) - (Height in cm - 100 cm) × kg/cm. Above this weight (M.B.W.) is overweight. 15% higher than above (M.B.W.) is obesity. 15% less than maximum weight is underweight. 30% less than maximum is morbid underweight. The morbid underweight subjects are unable to carry 5 kgs weight for 10 minutes. Ratio of Chest circumference / Abdomen circumference or Waist circumference (C/W) must be more than unity, preferably more that 1.05. Ratio of Height/Mid arm circumference should be between 6.00 to 7.50. Ratio below 6.00 is overweight. Ratio above 7.50 is underweight.

Prediction of obesity in pubertal school girls using various anthropometric measurements

The aim of the work was to choose a sensitive indicator to diagnose overweight and obese girls other than the currently used body mass index [BMI]. The study has covered 123 school girls at age range 11-16 years. Anthropometric measurements were done including weight, height, sitting-height and span. Circumferences that included head, chest, mid-upper-arm, thigh, waist and hip were done. Six sites of fat thickness triceps, biceps, subscapluaris, thigh, abdominal and suprailiac were all measured. BMI of all girls ranged between 15.60-44.0. A significant increase in weight, sittingeight, trceps, biceps, subscapulair, thigh, abdominal and suprailiac skinfolds thickness and in head, mid upper arm, chest, waist, thigh and hip circumference with the increase in BMI was show. Stepwise regression analysis was applied to test for the extent of contribution of the variables measured in the study to the level of BMI. The results showed that only mid upper arm circumference, suprailiac skinfold, chst circumference and thigh circumference showed correlation with BML. Logistric regression analysis was accordingly performed to identify ignificant factors for predicting obesity. Of all the measurements entered into the logistic regression model only mid arm-circumference and suprailiac skin fold thickness were selected by the model as the most important factors to predict obesity with sensitivity=85.2% and specificity=87.6%