[The best waist circumference cut-point for identifying cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents: a preliminary study].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the best waist circumference (WC) cut-point for identifying cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents.

METHODS: Human basic parameters were measured among 3986 adolescents aged 14 - 18 in Qinhuangdao. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was employed to determine the optimal WC cut-point for detecting cardiovascular risk factors.

RESULTS: The prevalence of the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors significantly increased after the WC was >or= 80th percentiles (77.0 - 79.0 cm for the boys and 70.0 - 72.5 cm for the girls). The age standardization detection rate was 24.9% in boys and 9.9% in girls. ROC analysis showed that the optimal WC cut-point was 80th percentiles, with the sensitivity of 84.3% and specificity of 85.9% in boys, and with sensitivity of 90.7% and specificity of 83.2% in girls.

CONCLUSION: There is a significant correlation between WC and cardiovascular risk factors. The optimal WC cut-point for predicting the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors is the 80th percentile.