According to a recent study, in children and young people, obesity is better measured by the ratio of waist circumference to height, instead of body mass index.
Parents who are worried about their children’s weight or body mass index can now easily calculate themselves whether there is cause for concern.
A new study by the University of Eastern Finland states that the ratio of waist circumference to height is a better measure of obesity in children and young people than body mass index.
The child’s waist-to-height ratio tells the mass index more reliably about excessive fat mass, because the mass index reading can also be affected by the amount of muscle mass.
Today, age- and sex-proportional weight index and height-weight curves are used as measures.
The problem, however, is that they do not distinguish fat mass from muscle mass. For example, two children can have the same body mass index, but fat and muscle mass in different proportions.
According to the authors of the study, parents can use the calculation formula to assess whether it is overweight. Adobe stock/AOP
These are the readings
The use of body mass index (BMI) as a measure of health has been criticized for a long time. It is not thought to give a complete picture of a person’s health risks, although it is commonly used in the assessment of obesity and its associated health risks.
There is a DEXA measurement to measure the amount of fat and muscle, but it is expensive and rarely used in healthcare. That’s why there is a need for options for measuring and monitoring overweight for children and young people as well.
Previously, it had not been investigated how well the ratio of waist circumference to height corresponds to the information obtained by DEXA measurement in children and young people.
The material of the study published now was from the ALSPAC project of the University of Bristol. In it, more than 7,000 children were followed from the age of 9 to the age of 24.
The upper limit of the normal amount of fat was a waist-height ratio of 0.53 for boys and 0.54 for girls. With these threshold values, according to the study, 80 percent of the boys and 70 percent of the girls who had the most excess fat tissue according to the DEXA measurement could be identified.
93 percent of the boys and 95 percent of the girls below the threshold values did not have too much adipose tissue according to the DEXA measurement either.
– The ratio between waist circumference and height does not depend as much on age or individual characteristics as the body mass index. The average waist-to-height ratio in childhood, adolescence and young adults is 0.45, says the doctor and pediatric epidemiologist Andrew Agbaje from the University of Eastern Finland in a press release.
THE FACTS
Where is the point measured?
Waist circumference is used to describe the excess fat that accumulates in the middle of the body.
Waist circumference is measured with bare skin while standing.
The measurement point is the middle of the lowest rib and the iliac crest on the sides.
The measuring tape must be horizontal, i.e. at the same height from the front, back and sides. When measuring, the weight should be equal on both legs.
The reading of the measuring tape is checked at the end of exhalation.
Source: Valid treatment recommendation
In adults, the ratio of waist circumference to height has in studies predicted the risk of premature death more reliably than body mass index. In children and young people, it is now thought to be a better indicator of overweight. Adobe stock/AOP
Link to many diseases
According to the research release, overweight and obesity in children must be reliably identified in order to intervene in time.
Obesity in childhood and adolescence has been found to be associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, musculoskeletal disorders and premature death in adulthood.
Already every fourth child is obese. The obesity of children and young people has reached epidemic proportions, the release states.
The results of the study carried out by the University of Eastern Finland and the Universities of Bristol and Exeter were published in the journal Pediatric Research.
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