Background & aims: Obesity-related metabolic disorders such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperuricemia are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The aim was to compare body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio as predictors of these metabolic disorders. Methods: We evaluated 1625 men and 1779 women, aged 35-64 y who participated in the 2001 National Health Interview Survey and 2002 Taiwan Three High Prevalence Survey. Their anthropometric measurements were analyzed as predictors of metabolic disorders using empirical receiver-operating characteristic curves and logistic regression models. Results: Overall, waist circumference performed well as a predictor of metabolic disorders. Body mass index was the best predictor for men who smoked, whereas waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio were better alternatives for non-smoking men and women. Anthropometric measures had higher predictabilities for those aged 35-44 y but relatively weak associations with diabetes mellitus for men aged 45-64 y and hypercholesterolemia for men and women. Conclusions: The associations between anthropometric measures and the metabolic disorders varied with comorbidity, gender, age groups, and smoking status. Waist-to-hip ratio was the best predictor for diabetes mellitus, especially for participants aged 45-64 y. The anthropometric measures did not predict hypercholesterolemia well.
