Key result
Larger hip circumference is linked to higher hypertension risk but lower metabolic disease prevalence.
Why the study?
Hip circumference is rarely evaluated as an independent health risk factor in epidemiological studies, with some researchers proposing its exclusion.
Is hip circumference independently associated with cardiometabolic comorbidities in the general Chinese population?
Cross-Sectional (n=11,510)
Is hip circumference independently associated with cardiometabolic comorbidities in the general Chinese population?
Larger hip circumference is independently associated with an increased risk of hypertension but a decreased risk of metabolic diseases like diabetes and hyperuricemia when adjusted for BMI and waist circumference.
Larger hip circumference may warrant caution in hypertension risk assessment yet lower metabolic disease odds; hypothesis-generating for body composition effects pending prospective studies.
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.
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Li et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiometabolic comorbidities (n=11,510). Hip circumference was evaluated on Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia. Larger hip circumference was an independent risk factor for hypertension but exhibited a protective effect against metabolic diseases including diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia.
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