Determining abdominal obesity cut-offs and relevant risk factors for anthropometric indices in Turkish children and adolescents

Aim: To determine the >= 90th percentile values of waist circumference (WC) to calculate anthropometric measures, indices and relevant risk factors in 5358 Turkish children and adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kayseri, Turkey, from February to April 2005. Cut-offs for body weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness, body mass index (BMI), and fat percentages were calculated for >= 90th percentile of WC. Results: According to the results of binary multiple logistic regression analysis (the backward stepwise procedure), sleep duration (boys), maternal education (boys), elevator use (boys), and appetite (boys and girls) were revealed as significant predictors of abdominal obesity, adjusted for age. Appetite was the strongest variable to be associated with abdominal obesity for both genders. Conclusions: According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, for all age groups within both genders, the best predictors to explain abdominal obesity were BMI and MUAC, respectively.