Body mass index as predictor of diabetes and hypertension in Saudi Arabia
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This cross-sectional study was designed to assess the validity of standard body mass index (BMI) cut-point values in predicting diabetes and hypertension in the Saudi population. A total of 197,681 adults participated in the study. For the definition of overweight, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis suggested optimal BMI cutoffs of 28.5 to 29.5 kg/m2 in men and 30.5 to 31.5 kg/m2 in women. However, the levels of sensitivity and specificity were too low to be of clinical value and the overall misclassification was unacceptably high across selected BMI values. When using a BMI of 25.0, the relationship between BMI and the presence of diabetes or hypertension was not improved. Regression analysis revealed that the odds ratios for hypertension or diabetes increased significantly from BMI values as low as 21.0-23.0, with no improvement in the diagnostic performance of BMI at these cutoffs. Thus, in the Saudi population, there is an increased risk of diabetes and hypertension relative to BMI, starting at a BMI of 21.0, with no cutoff BMI level with high predictive value for the development of these complications.
Abstract
