Waist-to-height ratio, waist circumference, body mass index, waist A national longitudinal cohort study

Background and aims: Cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM) is an increasing public health burden. This study aimed to evaluate the association of waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist circumference (WC), waist divided by height0.5 (WHT.5R) and body mass index (BMI) with the risk of CM. Methods and results: We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A total of 10,521 participants aged 45 years and over were recruited, including 8807 individuals with 0 cardiometabolic diseases at baseline (stage I) and 1714 individuals with 1 cardiometabolic disease at baseline (stage II). CM was defined as self-reporting of two or more of the following conditions: stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Logistic regression was conducted to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were used to evaluate the incremental predictive value beyond conventional factors. In stage I, an increased risk of CM was observed among participants with WHtR >0.5 (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.05-2.97 ), WC > 90 cm (men) + WC > 80 cm (women) (OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.29-3.27), WHT.5R > 6.54 cm0.5 (OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.16-2.83) or BMI >24 kg/m2 (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 0.98-2.24). Furthermore, the NRI and IDI of WHtR, WC and WHT.5R were all higher than those of BMI. In stage II, the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of WHtR, WC, WHT.5R and BMI were 2.04 (1.24-3.35), 1.89 (1.29-2.77), 1.86 (1.24 -2.78) and 1.47 (1.06-2.04), respectively. In addition, WC exhibited the highest NRI and IDI. Conclusion: WHtR, WC, WHT.5R and BMI are independent predictors of CM in the middle-aged and older Chinese population. WHtR, WC and WHT.5R show better abilities in predicting CM than BMI. (c) 2021 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist circumference (WC), waist divided by height0.5 (WHT.5R) and body mass index (BMI) are independent predictors of cardiometabolic multimorbidity in the middle-aged and older Chinese population. Furthermore, WHtR, WC, and WHT.5R exhibit better predictive abilities for cardiometabolic multimorbidity compared to BMI.