IJCS | Volume 33, Nº4, July and August 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36660/IJCS.20190021 Introduction For a long time, several studies have indicated a correlation of waist circumference (WC) with abdominal (subcutaneous and intra-abdominal) fat mass 1,2 and accumulation of visceral adipose tissue. 3,4 Subsequent studies have confirmed that WC, a simple measurement, is the best surrogate marker of visceral adiposity. 5,6 In fact, a panel promoted by the Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention (NAASO), the Obesity Society, the American Society for Nutrition, and the American Diabetes Association has encouraged the use of WC in clinical practice. 7 It has become evident that WC is more linked to cardiovascular risk factors than body mass index (BMI). A survey assessing 168,000 primary care patients across 63 countries 8 has demonstrated that BMI, and particularly WC, are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease 340 ORIGINAL ARTICLE International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2020; 33(4):340-347 Mailing Address: Lídia Guillo Avenida Esperança, s/n, Campus 2. Postal Code: 74690-900, Goiânia, Goiás, GO - Brazil. E-mail: lidia.guillo@gmail.com Waist Circumference Above 80 cm Predicts Increased Systolic Blood Pressure in Healthy Young Adult Women Gilberto Reis Agostinho Silva, 1 M aria Sebastiana Silva, 2 Lídia Andreu Guillo 3 Universidade Salgado de Oliveira - Campus de Goiânia, 1 Goiânia, GO – Brazil Universidade Federal de Goiás - Campus Samambaia, 2 Goiânia, GO – Brazil Universidade Federal de Goiás - Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, 3 Goiânia, GO – Brazil Manuscript received on January 23, 2019; reviewed on August 22, 2019; accepted on October 15, 2019. Abstract Background: Among anthropometric measures for assessing adiposity-related risk, waist circumference (WC) is simple and fast to perform. Cut-off values for WC proposed by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and the Adult Treatment Panel III of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP-ATP III) are categorized by gender and are not age-specific. Objective: To analyze the association between WC and cardiometabolic risk factors in adult women. Methods: A total of 164 healthy adult women were grouped by WC according to IDF and NCEP-ATP III cutoff values. Continuous variables were described as mean ± standard deviation or median (interquartile range). The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of data. Variables were analyzed by unpaired Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The correlation of WC categories with systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and triglycerides were examined by Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Increased WC showed a significant correlation with SBP, DBP, glucose, HDL-c, and triglycerides. In bivariate linear regression, approximately 63.0 % of the variability of SBP (≥ 130 mmHg) among the age group 20-40 years was predicted by increased WC according to both criteria. Conclusion: A WC above 80 cm in women aged 20-40 years strongly predicted variability in SBP, calling attention to the importance of measuring WC for the monitoring and prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in women in this age group. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2020; 33(4):340-347) Keywords: Body Weight and Measures; Anthropometry/instrumentation; Young Adult; Women,; Abdominal Circumference; Blood Pressure; Risk Factors.