Key result
Body mass index and waist circumference were better predictors of health and economic outcomes than waist-to-height and waist-to-hip ratios in the Indonesian Family Life Survey.
Why the study?
Are BMI and waist circumference better predictors of health and economic outcomes than waist-to-height ratio and waist-to-hip ratio in the Indonesian population?
Observational
Are BMI and waist circumference better predictors of health and economic outcomes than waist-to-height ratio and waist-to-hip ratio in the Indonesian population?
BMI and waist circumference are adequate and preferable measures of obesity for predicting health and economic outcomes in developing countries like Indonesia.
BMI and waist circumference may better predict outcomes in Indonesia; leaves open generalizability and need for validation before wider adoption.
Obesity is pandemic, but no consensus has yet emerged regarding appropriate tools for measuring it. Medical research based on populations in the developed world has largely dismissed body mass index (BMI) because it is a weak predictor of some health outcomes. In contrast, social science research still relies on it for its simplicity and ready availability in surveys. This paper uses consistent definitions and measures to select sufficiently good predictors of health and economic outcomes from among the anthropometrics that are considered alternatives to BMI. The results from the Indonesian Family Life Survey indicate that BMI and waist circumference are better predictors than waist-to-height ratio and waist-to-hip ratio. This paper argues that given its advantages, BMI is an adequate measure of obesity for Indonesia and possibly for the developing world. Further, if BMI is to be replaced, waist circumference is preferable to other anthropometrics.
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Kitae Sohn (2014) conducted an observational in Obesity. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference vs. Waist-to-height ratio and waist-to-hip ratio was evaluated on Health and economic outcomes. Body mass index and waist circumference were better predictors of health and economic outcomes than waist-to-height and waist-to-hip ratios in the Indonesian Family Life Survey.
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