Key result
Body mass index moderately predicts hypertension with AUC 0.69, slightly outperforming waist circumference.
Why the study?
Hypertension is an increasing health problem, prompting efforts to promote early detection and modify prognoses by evaluating the accuracy of anthropometric indices.
Do anthropometric indices (BMI, WC, WHtR) accurately detect hypertension in Sudanese adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=301)
No
Do anthropometric indices (BMI, WC, WHtR) accurately detect hypertension in Sudanese adults?
Effect estimate: AUC 0.69 (95% CI 0.63-0.75)
Absolute Event Rate: 0.69% vs 0.66%
BMI, WC, and WHtR have moderate predictive power for detecting hypertension in Sudanese adults, making them more suitable for population screening than individual diagnosis, with BMI performing slightly better than WC.
Supports population screening in Sudanese adults; leaves open prospective validation of BMI versus other indices.
Hypertension is an increasing health problem; hence, efforts have been made to promote the disease's early detection and modify prognoses. We aim to evaluate the accuracy of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-height ratio (WHtR) in detecting hypertension among adults in Northern Sudan. Adults were recruited for a multi-stage sampling survey in Northern Sudan. Sociodemographic and anthropometric index (BMI, WC, and WHtR) information were collected. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with its area under the curve (AUC) was obtained, and a multivariate binary analysis was performed. Of the 301 included adults, 113 (37.5%) were females and 188 (62.5%) were males. The median (interquartile range, IQR) age was 45.0 (32.0‒59.0) years. The median (IQR) of BMI, WC, and WHtR was 25.6 (21.9‒29.7) kg/m2, 83.0 (73.0‒94.8) cm, and 0.51 (0.43‒0.58), respectively; these values were significantly higher in adults with hypertension compared with adults without hypertension. A total of 166 (55.1%) adults had hypertension. BMI (AUC = 0.69 at the cutoff 22.5 kg/m2, sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.53, YI = 0.35) and WHtR for both males and females (AUC = 0.68 at the cutoff 0.48, sensitivity = 0.75, specificity = 0.60, YI = 0.35) were more accurate than WC (AUC = 0.66 at the cutoff 77.5 cm, sensitivity = 0. 77, specificity = 0.56, YI = 0.33). The multivariate binary analysis revealed that being female (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.23, 95.0% CI = 1.25‒3.97), having increased age (AOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.02‒1.05), and having a higher BMI (AOR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.04‒1.16) were associated with hypertension. BMI, WC, and WHtR showed moderate predictive power, suggesting that these indices have a limited role in diagnosing hypertension at the individual level and are more appropriate for population screening than for individual diagnosis. BMI performs better than WC in terms of hypertension detection.
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Musa et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension (n=301). Body mass index (BMI) vs. Waist circumference (WC) was evaluated on Accuracy in detecting hypertension (Area Under the Curve) (AUC 0.69, 95% CI 0.63-0.75). Body mass index showed moderate predictive power for detecting hypertension in Sudanese adults (AUC 0.69), performing slightly better than waist circumference (AUC 0.66).
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