¹Department of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia

Correspondence: Dr Z Wang, Department of Medicine, Centre for Chronic Disease, University of Queensland, F4, Block 6, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia. E-mail: zwang@ccs.uq.edu.au

Received 4 April 2004; Revised 11 June 2004; Accepted 23 June 2004; Published online 31 August 2004.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index (BMI), weight and hip circumference as risk factors for type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal Australians.

DESIGN: Community-based cross-sectional study.

SUBJECTS: In total, 915 Australian Aboriginal adults (age: 18–74 y) from a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia.

MEASUREMENTS: Body size measurements included waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, BMI, weight and hip circumference. Diabetes status was determined according to medical history and fasting and 2-h postload plasma glucose values. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratio for diabetes associated with 1 standard deviation (s.d.) increase in a body size measurement. The areas under the ROC curves of five body size measurements were calculated and compared.

RESULTS: Risk of diabetes increased with increasing levels of body size. ORs (95% CI) for diabetes with adjustment for age and sex were 2.16 (1.75, 2.66), 1.80 (1.49, 2.17), 1.41 (1.17, 1.71), 1.81 (1.51, 2.19) and 1.84 (1.50, 2.24) associated with 1 s.d. increase in waist circumference, BMI, weight, waist-to-hip ratio, and hip circumference, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for waist circumference was significantly higher than those for other measurements.

CONCLUSION: Waist circumference is the best body size measurement in predicting diabetes in Aboriginal people.