The Comparison of Waist Circumference, Waist to Hip Ratio and Body Mass Index in Female College Students

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to validate waist circumference (WC) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) corresponding to body mass index (BMI) of 25kg/m2 and to survey the prevalence of hypertension according to obesity in female college students. METHOD: Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences and blood pressure were measured for each of 286 female college students in J City, Chungbuk. RESULTS: The subjects' mean BMI was 21.4kg/m2, and the estimated prevalence of obesity was 11.2%. The subjects, the 80th-90th percentile of whom had BMI exceeding 25kg/m2, were found to have WC of 75-78.1 cm and WHR of 0.79-0.80, respectively. Of the subjects with obesity(BMI> or =25kg/m2), 53.1% exhibited abdominal obesity (WC> or =80cm) and 40.6% had WHR over 0.80. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were correlated with BMI, WC, and WHR. The prevalence rate of hypertension in subjects with obesity(BMI> or =25kg/m2) was 25%. Additionally, the prevalence rate of hypertension in subjects with abdominal obesity (WC> or =80cm) was 39.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that WC corresponding to BMI of 25kg/m2 in female subjects in their twenties is different from that of adult women. We also found that the prevalence rate of hypertension in subjects with abdominal obesity was high. Therefore. we suggest further studies to determine the cutoff value of WC for evaluating abdominal obesity and to investigate the long-term effects of obesity on women in their twenties.