Assessing different anthropometric indices and their optimal cutoffs for prediction of type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in Asians: The Jinchang Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: To study the association between anthropometric measurements and the risk of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and compare body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) to determine the best indicator and its optimal cutoffs for predicting type 2 diabetes and IFG. METHODS: A Chinese prospective (2011-2019) cohort named the Jingchang cohort that included 48 001 participants was studied. Using Cox proportional hazard models, hazard ratios (HRs) for incident type 2 diabetes or IFG per 1 SD change in BMI, WC, and WHtR were calculated. Area under the curve (AUC) was compared to identify the best anthropometric variable and its optimal cutoff for predicting diabetes. RESULTS: The association of BMI, WC, and WHtR with type 2 diabetes or IFG risk was positive in the univariate and multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. Of all three indexes, the AUC of BMI was largest and that of WC was smallest. The derived cutoff values for BMI, WC, and WHtR were 24.6 kg/m2 , 89.5 cm, and 0.52 in men and 23.4 kg/m2 , 76.5 cm, and 0.47 in women for predicting diabetes, respectively. The derived cutoff values for BMI, WC, and WHtR were 23.4 kg/m2 , 87.5 cm, and 0.50 in men and 22.5 kg/m2 , 76.5 cm, and 0.47 in women for predicting IFG, respectively. [Correction added on 14 April 2020, after first online publication: '0' has been deleted from 'WC,0' in the first sentence.]. CONCLUSIONS: Our derived cutoff points were lower than the values specified in the most current Asian diabetes guidelines. We recommend a cutoff point for BMI in Asians of 23 kg/m2 and for WC a cutoff point of 89 cm in men and 77 cm in women to define high-risk groups for type 2 diabetes; screening should be considered for these populations.

Identification of an obesity index for predicting metabolic syndrome by gender: the rural Chinese cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To compare the accuracy of different obesity indexes, including waist circumference (WC), weight-to-height ratio (WHtR), body mass index (BMI), and lipid accumulation product (LAP), in predicting metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to estimate the optimal cutoffs of these indexes in a rural Chinese adult population. METHODS: This prospective cohort involved 8468 participants who were followed up for 6 years. MetS was defined by the International Diabetes Federation, American Heart Association, and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria. The power of the 4 indexes for predicting MetS was estimated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and optimal cutoffs were determined by the maximum of Youden's index. RESULTS: As compared with WHtR, BMI, and LAP, WC had the largest area under the ROC curve (AUC) for predicting MetS after adjusting for age, smoking, drinking, physical activity, and education level. The AUCs (95% CIs) for WC, WHtR, BMI, and LAP for men and women were 0.862 (0.851-0.873) and 0.806 (0.794-0.817), 0.832 (0.820-0.843) and 0.789 (0.777-0.801), 0.824 (0.812-0.835) and 0.790 (0.778-0.802), and 0.798 (0.785-0.810) and 0.771 (0.759-0.784), respectively. The optimal cutoffs of WC for men and women were 83.30 and 76.80 cm. Those of WHtR, BMI, and LAP were approximately 0.51 and 0.50, 23.90 and 23.00 kg/m2, and 19.23 and 20.48 cm.mmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: WC as a preferred index over WHtR, BMI, and LAP for predicting MetS in rural Chinese adults of both genders; the optimal cutoffs for men and women were 83.30 and 76.80 cm.

Waist to hip ratio is a better predictor of esophageal acid exposure than body mass index.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are major health problems showing an inconstant relationship in the literature. Therefore, anthropometric parameters which are predictive and can simply be assessed at first patient presentation may lead to a better patient selection for ambulatory reflux monitoring. We aimed to examine the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) with gastroesophageal reflux activity during 24 hour-pH-impedance monitoring. METHODS: Seven hundred and seventy-one patients with GERD symptoms underwent 24 hour-pH-impedance monitoring and high resolution manometry off proton pump inhibitors. Patients with known primary motility disorders of the esophagus and pre-existing endoscopic or operative procedure on esophagus or stomach were excluded from the study. Reflux parameters and anthropometric and demographic data from our prospectively gathered database were analyzed. We performed univariate and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the associations of BMI and WHR with reflux parameters measured with 24 hour-pH-impedance monitoring. KEY RESULTS: WHR showed a significantly stronger association with esophageal acid exposure than BMI (P<.001). Our data show that 6.9% of the percentage of endoluminal pH<4 in the distal esophagus is attributable to WHR. Furthermore, an association of WHR with impaired esophageal acid clearance was observed. Additionally, we observed an inverse relationship between lower esophageal sphincter integrity (P=.05) and esophageal acid exposure. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES: WHR is a better predictor for esophageal acid exposure than BMI. Biomechanical and metabolic mechanisms of central fat distribution may influence reflux parameters in 24 hour pH impedance monitoring, which may affect patient selection for ambulatory reflux monitoring.

Waist-to-Height Ratio Compared to Standard Obesity Measures as Predictor of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Asian Indians in North India.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the discriminatory ability of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in identifying the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors in Asian Indians. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 509 subjects (278 males and 231 females) aged 20-60 years from New Delhi, India. Measurements included complete clinical examination, blood pressure, weight, height, WC, BMI, WHR and WHtR, fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, and fasting insulin levels. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to compare predictive validity of various adiposity measures against the cardiometabolic risk factors (dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, impaired fasting glucose, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome). The odds ratio for the presence of individual cardiometabolic risk factors in the presence of overweight, abdominal obesity, and high WHtR were calculated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: WC had the highest area under ROC for all other cardiometabolic risk factors except hyperinsulinemia in males and for dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome and presence of at least one cardiometabolic risk factor in females. For metabolic syndrome, WC, followed by WHtR, was observed to be the better predictor than other measures of adiposity, and WHtR appeared to be the best predictor for hypertension in both genders, particularly in women. CONCLUSIONS: In the northern Asian Indian population with high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, a combination of WC and WHtR appeared to be having better clinical utility than BMI and WHR in identifying individuals with cardiometabolic risk factors.

Sobrevaloración del índice de cintura-cadera como indicador de riesgo cardiometabólico / Overestimation of waist-hip index as a marker of cardiovascular risk

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Which index best correlates with body fat mass: BAI, BMI, waist or WHR?

OBJECTIVES: The body mass index (BMI) has been the most commonly applied clinical measure to characterise body composition in individuals. However, the BMI has been criticised as being an inaccurate measure of body fatness. Recently, a new index reflecting body composition, the Body Adiposity Index (BAI) was proposed. The BAI was calculated using the equation BAI=((hip circumference)/ ((height)1.5) - 18). AIM: The aim of this study was to compare estimates of body fat content, i.e., body adiposity index (BAI), BMI, waist-hip ratio (WHR) and waist and hip circumferences, with respect to their ability to predict the percentage of body fat (PBF). RESULTS: To select an optimal surrogate for adiposity, we examined the correlation between body adiposity percentage as measured by BIA and several variables, including BAI, BMI and WHR. Correlations ranged from a high of 0.78 for BMI, 0.67 for BAI and 0.66 for waist circumference to a low value of 0.39 for the WHR index. The correlation between PBF and BAI (R=0.67, R2=0.45, p<0.001) and the correlation between PBF and BMI (R=0.78, R2=0.60, p<0.001) were of similar magnitude. CONCLUSION: Based on our results and those of other studies, we can say that the BAI index is not a universally valid index that could be used in the place of the BMI index in a Caucasian population; indeed, it would not accurately reflect body fat mass and thus could lead to an increased risk of obesity. Further, WHR index is not a suitable for an estimation of body fat.

Appropriate cut-off values of waist circumference to predict cardiovascular outcomes: 7-year follow-up in an Iranian population.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the lack of compelling evidence for waist circumference (WC) as a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor in many ethnic groups, the need for local research has been expressed by international authorities. This study was undertaken to determine the optimal cut-off points of WC for predicting incident CVD and metabolic syndrome in an Iranian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 6,504 participants from three areas in central Iran were followed over 7 years. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) were used to identify the maximum value of sensitivity and specificity combinations corresponding to the appropriate cut-off points of WC for the detection of the metabolic syndrome and CVD events. The optimal cut-off values were defined as the point at which the value of "sensitivity+specificity-1" reached the maximum value. Finally, Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to determine which cut-off point was better fit in the CVD risk prediction model. RESULTS: After 394,418 person-years of follow-up, 427 incident primary CVD events (233 men) were identified. Considering CVD, the optimum cut-off points were 99/103.5 cm (men/women) but these had a low sensitivity (AUC: 0.59, 95%CI 0.55-0.63 in both men and women). The second highest values for discriminating CVD were 93/97 cm that resulted in acceptable sensitivity. Regarding the metabolic syndrome, 92.6/97.8 cm were identified as optimum (AUC: 0.67, 95%CI 0.65-0.69 in men and 0.65, 95%CI 0.63-0.67 in women). The best cut-off values that fit in the Cox regression model were 90/97 cm. CONCLUSION: International recommended WC cut-off values for the Middle East are not appropriate compared to the locally defined cut-off values in Iran.

Optimal cut-off values of anthropometric markers to predict hypertension in North Indian population.

The aim of the study was to determine the cut-offs of anthropometric markers for detecting hypertension in an endogamous North Indian population. A cross-sectional study was carried out to collect data from 578 adult Aggarwal Baniya subjects (271 men and 307 women, mean age: 43.4 ± 5.3 and 38.7 ± 4.9 respectively) using multistage, stratified sampling method. Individual body weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, blood pressure were assessed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to find out the optimal cut-off values of various anthropometric markers to predict hypertension. The likelihood ratios for having hypertension in subjects with various cut-off values were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the independent relationship between the anthropometric markers and odds of having hypertension. The BMI cut-off to predict hypertension was 22.8 kg/m(2) in men and 28.8 kg/m(2) in women. The optimal WC cut-offs varied from 91-92 cm in both men and women. The WHR cut-off was about 0.90 in men and 0.78 in women respectively, and the optimal WHtR cut-off was 0.56 in men and 0.43 in women. The cut-off levels for BMI, WC and WHtR corresponded to the inflexion points in the likelihood ratio graphs. The area under curve (AUC) and odds ratios showed that the risk of having hypertension was highest with respect to increased BMI and that BMI is the best predictor of having hypertension. The cut-off points for detecting cardiovascular risk factors among our population are lower than the criteria by the World Health Organization. Although these results may not be readily applied to the rest of the Indian populations due to the multiethnic composition, they point to the necessity of similar studies with large randomized samples to find the cut-off levels for chronic conditions in different populations.

Intrarater reliability and the value of real change for waist and hip circumference measures by a novice rater.

Intrarater reliability and measurement error associated with waist and hip circumference measures performed by a novice rater with one measurement were examined and compared among Body Mass Index (BMI) subgroups in a convenience sample of 76 participants (25 men, 51 women; M age = 47.2 yr., SD = 14.2). A rater blinded to the purpose of the study, as well as to the tape measure results, received training and then performed hip and waist circumference measures twice with a 10-min. interval. Intrarater reliability of the measures was acceptable (ICC3,1 > .95) across the BMI subgroups; measurement error was found to be greater in the overweight and obese subgroups. If a test-retest change score is greater than 3.0 cm in waist circumference and 2.0 cm in hip circumference, it can be assumed to be a true change with 95% confidence.

Índices de obesidade central e fatores de risco cardiovascular na síndrome dos ovários policísticos / Central obesity index and cardiovascular risk factors in polycystic ovary syndrome

FUNDAMENTO: A obesidade abdominal apresenta elevada prevalência em mulheres com síndrome dos ovários policísticos (SOP) e está associada a um aumento do risco cardiovascular. OBJETIVO: Verificar a acurácia da circunferência da cintura (CC), da relação cintura-quadril (RCQ), da relação cintura-estatura (RCEST) e do índice de conicidade (índice C), no que se refere à detecção de fatores de risco cardiovascular (FRCV) em mulheres com SOP. MÉTODOS: Por meio de estudo transversal, foram alocadas 102 mulheres (26,5 ± 5 anos) com diagnóstico de SOP, de acordo com o consenso de Rotterdam. O colesterol total (CT), os triglicerídeos (TG), o LDL-colesterol (LDL-C), o HDL-colesterol (HDL-C), a glicemia de jejum, a glicemia após teste oral de tolerância à glicose (TOTG) e a pressão arterial (PA) foram avaliados em todas as pacientes, além das variáveis antropométricas. RESULTADOS: A relação cintura-estatura foi o marcador que apresentou correlações positivas significativas com o maior número de FRCV (PA, TG e glicemia após TOTG), destacando-se ainda a correlação negativa com HDL-C. Todos os marcadores antropométricos avaliados se correlacionaram positivamente com PA, enquanto CC e RCQ apresentaram correlação positiva também com TG. No tocante à acurácia para detecção de FRCV, os indicadores antropométricos considerados apresentaram taxas de sensibilidade superiores a 60 por cento, com destaque para a RCEST, que apresentou sensibilidade superior a 70 por cento. CONCLUSÃO: A RCEST demonstrou ser o indicador antropométrico com a melhor acurácia para a predição de FRCV. Nesse sentido, propõe-se a inclusão desse parâmetro de fácil mensuração na avaliação clínica para o rastreamento de mulheres com SOP e FRCV.

BACKGROUND: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) present a high prevalence of abdominal obesity, which is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. OBJECTIVE: To verify the accuracy of the waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and the conicity index (CI) in the detection of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in women with PCOS. METHODS: The present transversal study allocated 102 women (26.5 ± 5 years) with a diagnosis of PCOS, according to the Rotterdam criteria. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting glucose, glucose after the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and blood pressure (BP) were evaluated in all patients, in addition to the anthropometric variables. RESULTS: The WHtR was the marker that presented significant positive correlations with the highest number of CVRF (BP, TG and post-OGTT glucose), whereas there was a negative correlation with HDL-C. All the evaluated anthropometric markers were positively correlated with BP, whereas WC and WHR also presented a positive correlation with TG. Regarding the accuracy for the detection of CVRF, the anthropometric markers presented a sensibility > 60 percent, especially the WHtR, which had a sensibility > 70 percent. CONCLUSION: The WHtR showed to be the most accurate anthropometric indicator for the prediction of CVRF. In this sense, we propose the inclusion of this easily-measured parameter in the clinical assessment for the screening of women with PCOS and CVRF.

[Central obesity index and cardiovascular risk factors in polycystic ovary syndrome]. / Indices de obesidade central e fatores de risco cardiovascular na síndrome dos ovários policísticos.

BACKGROUND: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) present a high prevalence of abdominal obesity, which is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. OBJECTIVE: To verify the accuracy of the waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and the conicity index (CI) in the detection of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in women with PCOS. METHODS: The present transversal study allocated 102 women (26.5 +/- 5 years) with a diagnosis of PCOS, according to the Rotterdam criteria. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting glucose, glucose after the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and blood pressure (BP) were evaluated in all patients, in addition to the anthropometric variables. RESULTS: The WHtR was the marker that presented significant positive correlations with the highest number of CVRF (BP, TG and post-OGTT glucose), whereas there was a negative correlation with HDL-C. All the evaluated anthropometric markers were positively correlated with BP, whereas WC and WHR also presented a positive correlation with TG. Regarding the accuracy for the detection of CVRF, the anthropometric markers presented a sensibility > 60%, especially the WHtR, which had a sensibility > 70%. CONCLUSION: The WHtR showed to be the most accurate anthropometric indicator for the prediction of CVRF. In this sense, we propose the inclusion of this easily-measured parameter in the clinical assessment for the screening of women with PCOS and CVRF.

Centiles of anthropometric measures of adiposity for 14- to 18-year-old urban Asian Indian adolescents.

AIM: This study aimed to develop age- and sex-specific reference values for body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat (%BF), waist circumference, waist-to-hip circumference ratio, and triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses for 14- to 18-year-old urban Asian Indians and to develop BMI cut-off points using specific centiles linked to the adult BMI cut-off points. METHODS: A cross-sectional population survey of adolescents and young adults (14-25 years of age) in North India included 684 boys and 541 girls. Smoothed 5(th), 10(th), 25(th), 50(th), 75(th), 85(th), 90(th), and 95(th) percentiles for the various anthropometric parameters were derived using the least mean squares (LMS) method for constructing normalized growth standards. Age-sex specific cut-off values for body mass index for 14-17 years were obtained corresponding to the centiles that pass through BMI (kg/m(2)) of 23, 25, 27.5, and 30 at 18 years of age. RESULTS: In most instances, the centiles of BMI and waist circumference were lower and those of %BF and triceps and subscapular skinfolds were higher than those recorded in the populations of United States and Canada. The age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points in 14- to 18-year-old Asian Indian adolescents are also described for the first time. CONCLUSIONS: These reference data could be used to identify adolescents with an elevated risk of developing obesity-related disorders and provide a baseline for future studies of temporal trends.

Body size and breast cancer in a black population--the Barbados National Cancer Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between body size and incident breast cancer in an African-origin Caribbean population. METHODS: This investigation is based on 222 incident breast cancer cases and 454 controls from the Barbados National Cancer Study (BNCS) in whom body size variables that included height, weight, body-mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences (WC, HC), and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were compared. Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed and the findings are presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Although 33% of cases and 39% of controls were obese (BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2)), BMI was not found to be a significant predictor of breast cancer in the multivariate analyses. Tall stature increased risk among women > or =50 years (OR = 2.16, 95% CI (1.02, 4.58)), and a dual effect with age was suggested for both WC and WHR (decreased risk for those aged < or =50 years; increased risk among those > or =50 years). CONCLUSIONS: Body size appears to influence the risk of breast cancer in this population of African origin. The BNCS data suggest that a few, but not all body size factors play a role in breast cancer risk, and that age may affect these relationships.

Waist circumference: a better index of fat location than WHR for predicting lipid profile in overweight/obese Iranian women.

We carried out a clinical cross-sectional study on 728 overweight and obese women aged 20-60 years during July 2005-May 2006 in Sistan and Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) showed significant correlation with total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. After adjustment for age and BMI, this was also true for WC with TC and TG. There was no such correlation between waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and lipid profile. Hence, WC was a better anthropometric index of fat location than WHR to estimate lipid profile in overweight and obese adult women.

[A study on the difference between International Diabetes Federation worldwide definition and Adult Treatment Panel III in diagnosing metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study the difference between the metabolic syndrome (MS) diagnosis made with International Diabetes Federation (IDF) worldwide definition and the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) of National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). METHODS: Cross-sectional study and descriptive study were used. RESULTS: There were 1328 MS patients diagnosed with IDF and 1527 MS patients diagnosed with ATPIII. There were 199 MS patients diagnosed with ATPIII but not with IDF and these MS patients all had 3 - 4 risk factors. According to the abnormality of glucose, blood pressure and lipid regulation stated in ATPIII criteria, 759 more patients were diagnosed as MS than with IDF criteria. CONCLUSIONS: MS diagnosed with ATPIII criteria is more objective than with IDF criteria and ATPIII criteria has more space for further theoretical study.

Effective cut-off values of waist circumference to detect the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors of metabolic syndrome in Japanese men and women.

The purpose of this study was to determine effective cut-off values of waist circumference (WC) to detect the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (CCRF) in a Japanese population. The subjects were 2,476 men and women who participated in a health examination in Tokyo. The CCRF was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the Japanese Committee of the Criteria for Metabolic Syndrome (JCCMS). The effective (accurate and sensitive) values were tested using the receiver operating characteristics analysis. The accurate (maximised sensitivity plus specificity) values were 81 cm and 80 cm using the IDF and JCCMS criteria for men, and 82 cm for both criteria for women. From the ROC curve, 85 cm was identified as an effective value for men. Thus, the effective cut-off value of WC for the Japanese should be approximately 85 cm for men and approximately 82 cm for women.

Superiority of skinfold measurements and waist over waist-to-hip ratio for determination of body fat distribution in a population-based cohort of Caucasian Dutch adults.

OBJECTIVE: To determine which anthropometric measurement is the most reliable alternative for fat distribution as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). DESIGN: Population-based survey carried out in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 376 individuals (200 women) with a mean age of 36.5 years and mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.0 (+/-3.1) kg/m2 underwent various anthropometric and DXA measurements of central (CFM) and peripheral fat mass (PFM). Furthermore, for the assessment of apple-shaped body composition, CFM-to-PFM ratio was calculated. Anthropometric measurements were waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), BMI, waist/length and the skinfold thickness of biceps, triceps, suprailiacal (SI), subscapular (SS) and upper leg. We determined whether equations of combined anthropometrics were even more reliable for the assessment of fat mass. RESULTS: In both women and men, reliable alternatives for CFM are central skinfolds and waist (Pearson's correlation (r) >or= 0.8). Peripheral skinfolds are the best predictors of PFM (r >or= 0.8). In contrast, WHR correlated only marginally with any of the DXA measurements. Equations based on several anthropometric variables correlate with CFM even better (R2 >or= 0.8). CFM-to-PFM ratio has the highest correlation with the ratio (SS+SI)/BMI in women (r = 0.66) and waist/length in men (r = 0.71). Equations are reasonable alternatives of CFM-to-PFM ratio (R2 >or= 0.5). CONCLUSION: Waist and skinfolds are reliable alternatives for the measurement of body fat mass in a cohort of Caucasian adults. WHR is not appropriate for the measurement of fat distribution.

An urban-rural comparison of the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Eastern China.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of urbanisation on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults. DESIGN: As part of a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted in 2002, a sample from rural and urban populations in East China was obtained. The metabolic syndrome is defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria (ATP III) and the modified ATP III, which recommended a lower waist circumference cut-off for Asians. Setting Field sites in Jiangxi and Anhui provinces and the Jing'an District of Shanghai, China. SUBJECTS: A total of 529 non-pregnant, non-lactating urban and rural adults, aged 20-64 years without diagnosed diabetes. RESULTS: Dwelling in urban areas was associated with higher dietary fat intake and slightly lower total energy intake, and with significantly lower occupational physical activity. Using the ATP III criteria, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was significantly higher for urban than rural men (12.7 vs. 1.7%, P < 0.001), and was similar between urban and rural women (10.1 vs. 9.7%, P = 0.17). These urban-rural differences were greatly enhanced when the modified ATP III criteria for the syndrome were used, for men (34.3 vs. 2.7%, P < 0.01) and women (24.1 vs. 11.4%, P = 0.07). The Asian waist circumference cut-offs (90 and 80 cm for men and women, respectively) had a better combination of sensitivity and specificity in identifying other metabolic disorders, which included high glucose, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, for this population. Conclusion For the Chinese population, urban dwelling was associated with higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, especially in men.