Objective:

to investigate the association between hypertension and anthropometric indicators of central obesity, obtained from two anatomical sites in old adults.

Methodology:

a cross-sectional study including 145 elderly people, from whom socioeconomic and demographic data and anthropometric indicators of central obesity (Waist Circumference [CC] and Abdominal Circumferency [CA]) were obtained, which were considered independent variables. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the associations, and for the discriminatory power of the cutoff points of the anthropometric indicators for hypertension, a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was performed. Comparisons between ROC curves were performed, aiming to identify a significant difference in the discriminatory power of the anthropometric indicators studied.

Results:

among the 145 individuals, 79 were female (54%) and 66 were male (46%). The results showed a high prevalence of hypertension among men (69.7%) and women (73.4%). Both WC and AC were significantly associated to hypertension in both sexes. The ROC curve parameters indicated that both anthropometric indicators of central obesity exhibit a good discriminatory power for hypertension in this studie. For the studied population, the WC cutoff point for hypertension was > 83.2 cm for men and > 82.6 cm in women, while for CA it was > 85.1 cm and > 85.4 cm in men and women, respectively.

Conclusion:

AC and WC are significantly associated with hypertension in both sexes, and there is no superiority among them to predict hypertension in the elderly population.

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