Waist circumference values equivalent to body mass index points for predicting absolute cardiovascular disease risks among adults in an Aboriginal community: a prospective cohort study

Objective: There have been suggestions that currently recommended waist circumference (WC) cut-off points for Australians of European origin may not be applicable to Aboriginal people who have different body habitus profiles. We aimed to generate equivalent WC values that correspond to body mass index (BMI) points for identifying absolute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks

Corresponding waist circumference and body mass index values based on 10-year absolute type 2 diabetes risk in an Australian Aboriginal community

Objective: There is a lack of waist circumference (WC) thresholds to identify Aboriginal individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes. We generated gender-specific WC values with equivalent 10-year absolute risk of type 2 diabetes as body mass index (BMI) points in an Australian Aboriginal community to contribute to guidelines needed for establishing WC cut-off points for Aboriginals

Body mass index and waist circumference as predictors of all-cause mortality in an Aboriginal Australian community

Objective Although elevated body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) have been identified as risk factors for mortality, data from the Australian Aboriginal communities are scarce. This study examined the associations of BMI and WC with all-cause mortality in an Australian Aboriginal community. Methods A total of 934 Aboriginal adults, aged 18–76 years, who participated in a community-wide screening programme in Australia's Northern Territory from 1992 to 1998, were followed-up prospectively for up to 18 years for death outcomes. The hazard ratios for mortality were estimated by baseline BMI and WC. Age, sex, smoking and alcohol consumption status were adjusted for in multivariable analysis. Results In 14,750 person-years of follow-up, 216 deaths were recorded. For each standard deviation increase in BMI, the risk of all-cause death decreased by 9% (95% CI: 0.80–1.05); whereas for each SD increase in WC, the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 17% (95% CI: 1.03–1.33). The risk of mortality was lower in the 3rd BMI tertile compared to the 1st tertile for mortality after adjusting for WC, age, sex, smoking and alcohol consumption. Risk of death was higher in WC tertile 3 compared to tertile 1 after adjusting for BMI, age, sex, smoking and alcohol consumption. Conclusions The risk of all-cause mortality among participants increased with higher WC, while participants with relatively higher BMI had a lower mortality risk. WC had stronger association with mortality than did BMI. The results indicate the importance of assessing WC measures in studies conducted in Aboriginal Australia