Abstract

Objective: To evaluate Waist Hip ratio in obese indiviuals to predict death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD), in parallel with conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Design, participants and setting: Cross-sectional analysis of an age- and sexstratified sample of 150 adults aged 20–69 years from Kamineni institute of medical sciences , Nalgonda. Blood pressure, fasting serum lipid levels, smoking, history of heart disease or diabetes, and obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist–hip ratio were recorded. Main outcome measures: Hazard ratios for the risk factors predicting CVD mortality and CHD mortality. Results: Of the modifiable risk factors, obesity, as measured by waist–hip ratio, is a dominant, independent, predictive variable for CVD and CHD deaths in Australian men and women. S elf-reported angina/myocardial infarction in both sexes, and cigarette smoking in women, are also independent risk factors. Conclusions: Obesity assessed by waist–hip ratio is a better predictor of CVD and CHD mortality than waist circumference, which, in turn, is a better predictor than BMI. The recognition of central obesity is clinically important, as lifestyle intervention is likely

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