BACKGROUND: This study proposes to identify the sensibility, specificity and the best cut-off point for waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) as a predictor of coronary high risk (CHR). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was applied to a population comprised of 968 adults between 30 and 74 years of age, of which 391 (40.4%) were male. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were employed to identify the sensibility and specificity of the best cut-off point for WHtR as a predictor of CHR. The statistical significance of the area under ROC curve was also verified using a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. RESULTS: The total area under ROC curve between WHtR and coronary risk was 0.75, CI 95% (0.70-0.81) for men and 0.69, CI 95% (0.64-0.75) foromen. For men, 0.52 was found to be the best cut-off point for predicting CHR (sensibility 68% and specificity 64%). Among women, 0.53 was the best cut-off point for discriminating CHR (sensibility 67% and specificity 58%). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the WHtR may be employed to identify CHR and must be compared to other anthropometric indicators of obesity.
Central obesity; Waist-to-Height ratio; Coronary risk
