Simple anthropometric measures to predict visceral adipose tissue area in middle-aged Indonesian men

by Sahat Basana Romanti Ezer Matondang, Bennadi Adiandrian, Komang Shary Karismaputri, Cicilia Marcella, Joedo Prihartono, Dicky Levenus Tahapary

The diagnosing of central obesity requires ethnic-specific cut-offs of waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI). This study aims to develop formulas to predict visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area based on WC and BMI to determine the cut-off points of central obesity in Indonesia. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 32 middle-aged Indonesian men. VAT area was measured using an abdominal CT scan, whereas WC and BMI were assessed through anthropometric measurements. Linear regression analysis was performed to define the formulas to predict VAT area using WC and BMI. Next, the optimal cut-off values of WC and BMI were determined using ROC curve analysis. Strong positive correlations were found between WC and VAT as well as BMI and VAT (r = 0.78; r = 0.67, p <0.001). The formula to predict VAT area from WC was −182.65 + (3.35 × WC), whereas the formula to predict VAT area from BMI was −57.22 + (6.95 × BMI). These formulas predicted WC of 88.5 cm and BMI of 23.9 kg/m² as the optimal cut-off values for central obesity in middle-aged Indonesian men.