Comparing the Predictability of BMI and WHR, both Independently and Combined, for Occurence of MI in Males: TLGS

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and myocardial infarction (MI). The current study aimed to compare BMI, WHR, both independently and combined, in predicting risk of MI in men.

Of 5183 TLGS participants, aged over 30 years, 2206 (45.5%) were men. Mean follow up time was 6.7 years. WHR and BMI were converted to standard normal distribution and then combined and a new variable (Z score) was defined. Data analyzed by using Cox proportional hazard regression.

MI occurred in 53 participants during follow up. The incidence rate of MI was 390 in 100000 people. Relative risk (RR) of MI for men with BMI and WHR above the third quartile were 2.7 and 3.9 times higher than those with BMI and WHR in first quartile (P<0.01). Cox proportional hazard regression showed that WHR adjusted for age is a better index than BMI in predicting risk of MI amongst men. Combination of BMI and WHR could predict risk of MI in men with more accuracy compared to each of the BMI and WHR variables alone. Cox proportional hazard regression showed that with each increasing unit of Z score, the risk of MI increases 29%.

A combination of WHR and BMI has higher predictability for MI risk than either WHR or BMI per se.