Association of hip circumference with cardiometabolic comorbidities in the Chinese population: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: The global prevalence of obesity has highlighted the need for simple anthropometric indicators to assess health risks—such as body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio—in epidemiological investigations. However, hip circumference (HC) is rarely evaluated as an independent risk factor in such studies, and some researchers have even proposed its exclusion. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 11,510 participants (5329 men and 6181 women) aged ≥35 years, recruited from the general population of Liaoning Province, China, between 2012 and 2013. Anthropometric measurements, laboratory tests, and self-reported lifestyle information were collected by trained personnel. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia increased progressively with ascending HC quartiles. Nevertheless, in multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for body mass index and waist circumference, a larger HC remained an independent risk factor for hypertension, while exhibiting a negative association—even a protective effect—against metabolic diseases (diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia). Specifically, females with a larger HC had a lower risk of diabetes, whereas males with a larger HC showed a reduced risk of hyperuricemia. Conclusion: The independent effect of HC on cardiometabolic comorbidities is nonnegligible; anthropometric indicators (body mass index, waist circumference, HC, and waist-to-hip ratio) should be used in combination rather than being completely replaced by one another. HC also holds promise as one of reliable risk markers for cardiometabolic comorbidities in the Chinese population.