Beyond Asian-Specific Cutoffs: Gender Effects on the Predictability of Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Waist C
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Beyond Asian-Specific Cutoffs: Gender Effects on the Predictability of Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Waist Circumference to Height Ratio on Hemoglobin A1c Aliya Kuerban 1 Received: 24 March 2020 / Revised: 2 June 2020 / Accepted: 5 June 2020 # W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute 2020
Abstract Objectives This study examines the gender effect on the associations between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist circumference to height ratio (WHtR) with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) when Asian-specific cutoffs are applied among Asians living in the USA. Design This study used the pooled 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to produce a sample of 900 Asians who were non-pregnant and non-Hispanic aged 20–65. Bivariate and general linear regression analyses were conducted based on gender and age group. Results The group variations of BMI, WC, and WHtR all exhibited different patterns between males and females. Among the bivariate correlations with HbA1c, WHtR was the strongest in males and WC was the strongest in females. All three measures performed better in predicting HbA1c among younger Asians. WC predicted more of the variance in HbA1c among females, whereas WHtR predicted more of the variance in HbA1c among males. Conclusions WC and WHtR are two anthropometric measures that serve as appropriate proxy of HbA1c for gauging the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among Asians living in the USA. They can be easily performed at non-clinical settings and should be used by individuals to monitor their health and be a part of disease prevention. Keywords Asian Americans . Minority health . Asian-specific obesity cutoffs . Body mass index . Waist circumference
Since the year 2000, due to the influx of immigrants, Asians have become the fastest growing racial group in the USA and are projected to be the largest immigrant group by 2055 [1]. Meanwhile, the prevalence of diabetes is also growing rapidly among Asians.1 From 2003 to 2013, the percentage of Asian immigrants in California with prediabetes and diabetes increased nearly 200%, compared with only a 25% increase among Caucasian counterparts during the same time period [2]. According to the 2016 National Health Interview Survey, the percentage of individuals who acknowledged that they had an abnormal fasting blood sugar or diabetes was higher among 1 In this study, “Asians” refer to any individuals with Asian ancestry, which includes legal and illegal immigrants, as well as those who are US citizens by naturalization or birth.
* Aliya Kuerban [email protected] 1
Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing & Health Sciences, Molloy College, 1000 Hempstead Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11571, USA
Asians than among other racial groups [3]. Globally, the largest number of people with diabetes was from China and India [4]. These are the two countries sending the most Asian immigrants to the USA [1]. Given the mounting concerns of the rising number of Asians with diabetes, the US Preventive Service Task Forc
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