Association of Different Obesity Indices with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Middle-aged Women

This study investigates the association between five obesity indices (BMI: body mass index, BF%: body fat percentage, WC: waist circumference, WSR: waist-stature ratio, WHR: waist-hip ratio) and cardiovascular disease risk factors in middle-aged women, aiming to determine the most effective predictor among these indices. Cross-sectional data on five obesity indices, blood pressure (SBP: systolic blood pressure, DBP: diastolic blood pressure), and blood lipids (TC: total cholesterol, TG: triglycerides, HDL-C: high density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C: low density lipoprotein cholesterol) were analyzed for 174 women aged 40 to 60 who participated in the healthcare program at the K-do public health center from May to November 2019. The results are as follows: 1) BMI, WC, and WSR showed inverse associations with HDL-C and positive associations with all other cardiovascular risk factor variables in middle-aged women. BF% correlated positively with TC, TG, LDL-C, and negatively with HDL-C. WHR was positively associated with TG and LDL-C, while negatively associated with HDL-C. 2) After correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis revealed causal relationships between SBP and BMI, DBP and WSR, TC and BF%, TG and BMI, HDL-C and WHR, LDL-C and BMI, and BF%. Based on the above results, BF% and BMI emerged as the most influential obesity indices for predicting cardiovascular disease risk factors among the five indices in middle-aged women aged 40 to 60 years. In conclusion, it is recommended that BF% and BMI be used together as the most influential tools to predict cardiovascular disease risk in middle-aged women.