Association between intra-abdominal fat volume and waist circumference measured at the umbilicus level / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo explore the best measurement of waist circumference related with intra-abdominal fat volume evaluated by CT scan.MethodsHeight,weight,and hip circumference were measured among 147 subjects aged over 18 years old.Waist circumference was measured at 3 different levelsthe upper brim of the iliac crest ( WC1 ),the midpoint between costal brim and iliac crest ( WC2 ),and the umbilicus ( WC3 ).The intra-abdominal fat volume was evaluated by CT scan.ResultsIntra-abdominal fat volume was significantly higher in men than in women [ ( 1 236.0±608.4 vs 931.0±665.0)cm3,P＜0.01 ].Correlation analysis showed that WC1 ( r =0.634),WC2( r=0.677),and WC3 (r =0.712)were positively correlated with intra-abdominal fat volume ( all P＜0.01 ).Partial correlation analysis adjusted by gender,weight,or body mass index showed that the correlation of intra-abdominal fat volume with WC3 ( r were 0.488 and 0.432) was better than that with WC1( r were 0.347 and 0.293 ) and WC2 ( r were 0.424 and 0.365 ).Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that WC2 and WC3 were independently associated with intra-abdominal fat volume and WC3 was the strongest impact factor (β =0.270,R2c =0.504,P＜0.01 ).ConclusionsWaist circumference is a simple anthropometric measurement parameter reflecting the degree of intraabdominal fat accumulation.All three different measurements of waist circumference may reflect intra-abdominal fat volume,while waist circumference at umbilical level is the best among them.