Relevance of anthropometric measurements as predictors of prevalent diabetes type II - A cross-sectional study on a Norwegian population

Abstract Background The association of overweight and diabetes mellitus type 2 varies with geographical area and ethnicity, and there is incoherent evidence as to which anthropometric index best predicts prevalent diabetes mellitus type 2 in different populations. The rationale for this study was to contribute to the understanding of how anthropometric indices perform as a screening tool for diabetes mellitus type 2. Hence, the objective was to determine the predictive potential of anthropometric indices to screen prevalent diabetes mellitus type 2 in the Norwegian population.Methods This study used cross-sectional data from the Health Study in Nord-Trøndelag (HUNT) to determine the potential association of waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-circumference and body mass index with prevalent diabetes mellitus type 2 through logistic regression analysis. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determinate the predictive potential of the anthropometric indices. Youden’s index was applied to determinate the optimal cut-off points for each anthropometric index.Results The results suggest that the anthropometric indices performed differently within the Norwegian population with waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio being the strongest predictors with (ROC) of 0.746 (0.735 - 0.757) and 0.741(0.730 - 0.752). The predictive potential for the investigated anthropometric indices was generally stronger for women than men.Interpretation When using anthropometric indices to screen prevalent diabetes mellitus type 2, the choice of anthropometric index and cut-off points should be considered based on country and the ethnic characteristics of the population.