Anthropometric Markers With Specific Cut-Offs Can Predict Anemia Occurrence Among Malaysian Young Adults

Objective: Anemia bears a high global prevalence with about 1.6 billion people living with this affliction. Malaysia carries the burden of 13.8% anemia prevalence which urges for extensive research directed to its prediction and amelioration. This is the first study that aims to (a) propose simple non-invasive predictive anthropometric markers and their specific cut-off values for early prediction of anemia among the young adults in Malaysia, (b) provide anemia prevalence based on both gender and ethnicity among young adults of Malaysia.Method: The present cross-sectional study included 245 participants (113 men and 132 women) aged between 18 and 30 years. Anthropometric parameters were measured following the standard protocols. Blood samples were collected and hemoglobin levels were determined using the HemoCue haemoglobinometer (Hb 201+ System, Angelhom, Sweden) to detect the presence of anemia. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was employed to assess and compare the efficacy of anthropometric indices in the prediction of anemia. Data were analyzed using SPSS (v. 22.0, IBM, Chicago, IL, USA) and MedCalc (v. 19.05, Ostend, Belgium).Result: The ROC analysis indicates that body mass index (BMI) is the best anthropometric marker with the highest area under the curve (AUC) and specificity (SP) for predicting the presence of anemia in young adults in Malaysia. Thus, the study proposes the optimal cut-off value of BMI for young men of Malaysia as 20.65 kg/m2 (AUC: 0.889) and young women of Malaysia as 19.7 kg/m2 (AUC: 0.904). The study also reports that Malaysian Indians have the highest prevalence of anemia (26.22%) followed by Malays (21.54%), “Others” (indigenous ethnic group) (20%), and Chinese (14.5%), with an overall higher prevalence of anemia in young adult women (21.96%) than in men (18.6%) of Malaysia.Conclusion: The proposed anemia-predictive anthropometric markers with optimal cut-off values will aid early detection of anemia among young adults in Malaysia, and given its simple, inexpensive, and intelligible approach, it can be widely used. The ease of anemia prediction together with the reported distribution of anemia prevalence based on gender and ethnicity will facilitate in gauging the necessary extent of strategies of anemia management in the young adult population of Malaysia.

Dietary Imbalance between Natural and Added Nutrient Sources Is Associated with Higher Fat Mass in Young Non-Obese Individuals

Increased energy intake from carbohydrates and sugars has been associated with overweight and obesity, risk factors for type 2 diabetes. However, such an association is higher with westernised diets with higher amounts of processed foods. Our aim was to correlate the dietary intake of sugars and lipids from naturally present and added sources with fat mass in young individuals. We performed an observational study in 80 young non-obese individuals, who completed food frequency and nutritional knowledge (NK) questionnaires, as well as an anthropometric evaluation. Foods were divided into naturally or added sources of sugars and lipids, and the intake from both sources was calculated separately. Individuals with a higher fat mass percentage had lower NK and lower consumption of lipids and sugars from naturally present sources. Moreover, consumption of lipids and sugars from naturally present sources was negatively correlated with nutritional knowledge and anthropometric markers of overweight, especially body weight and waist circumference. In non-obese young adults, lower consumption of sugars and lipids from naturally present sources instead of added ones is higher in individuals with excessive fat mass percentage and correlated with anthropometric markers of fat mass. Such dietary imbalance is associated with lower nutritional knowledge, suggesting that it could be a strategy to strengthen the prevention of obesity and associated pathologies later in life.

Anthropometric Markers and Iron Status of 6–12-Year-Old Thai Children: Associations and Predictors

Introduction. Obesity may be associated with poor iron status. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between different indices of iron status and anthropometric measurements in Thai children. Materials and Methods. Anthropometry (weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and body composition assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis) and iron indices were measured in 336 Thai children aged 6–12 years. Iron deficiency (ID) was defined using two or more of the following: (1) %transferrin saturation (%Tsat) < 16%; (2) serum ferritin (SF) < 15 μg/mL; and (3) soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) > 5 mg/L. Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) was defined as haemoglobin < WHO age cutoff combined with ID. Overweight and obesity were defined as body mass index (BMI) standard deviation score (SDS) ≥ +1 SDS or +2 SDS, respectively (WHO growth reference). Results. BMI SDS was significantly positively correlated with sTfR and SF (sTfR, r: 0.209, p < 0.001; SF, r: 0.214, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with %Tsat (r: −0.132, p = 0.013). Correlations between WC SDS and %fat mass and each iron marker were similar. The percentage with low SF was significantly lower than that using other individual markers. ID prevalence was not significantly different between normal-weight and overweight/obesity groups although a significantly higher proportion of overweight/obese children had sTfR >5 mg/L. Puberty and menarche were significant predictors of ID (puberty adjusted OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 0.43, 11.25; menarche adjusted OR: 6.11, 95% CI: 1.21, 30.94). Conclusion. Greater adiposity was associated with poorer iron status. However, SF may not be a good indicator of iron status in Thai children, particularly in those who are overweight/obese, whereas sTfR merits further investigation.

Determining New Anthropometric Markers for Screening Hypertension in the Caribbean Region

Introduction: The prevalence of hypertension in the Caribbean is high [26% in Saint (St.) Kitts]. It contributes to 51% of deaths secondary to ischemic heart disease and hence being a leading cause of death in the Caribbean region. Aim: To determine the association between Indices using height, waist, hip, thigh, arm, and wrist circumference (cm) with development of hypertension and to compare existing markers in test subjects and assessing their feasibility as predictive indicators for the development of hypertension. Materials and Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, a total of 635 subjects were involved in the study which included health centres and health camps in St. Kitts (West Indies). Study was conducted from December 2019 to November 2020. Height to Waist Ratio (HtWR), Arav Body Index (ABI), Waist to Thigh Ratio (WTR) and Wrist to Arm Ratio (WAR) was compared to common existing markers such as Waist to Height Ratio (WHtR), Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) and Body Mass Index (BMI). Statistical analysis was done using using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: A total of 635 participants were included with most of the participants (n=540) between age group of 40 to 70 years, 35.4% (n=225) of participants were males and 64.6% (n=410) were females. In the present study, 47.92% (n=304) were non hypertensive and 52.1% (n=331) were hypertensive. In males, Area Under Receiver Operating Curve (AUROC) of HtWR (0.690) and Inverse ABI (0.632) was superior as compared to other anthropometric markers for predicting the development of hypertension and Waist to Thigh Ratio (WTR) (0.687) was superior in females. Among females recommended cut-off values for WTR is 1.6 and among males for HtWR and Inverse ABI were 2.3 and 2.84, respectively. Conclusion: Height to waist ratio and inverse ABI were more reliable markers in males for predicting the development of hypertension whereas, WTR being more reliable in females in population of St. Kitts. This will help at risk individuals to take preventive measures like lifestyle modification.

Anthropometric and Biochemical Parameters in Relation to Dietary Habits as Early Indicator of Cardiovascular Impairment in Young Adult Cohort

Adjusted dietary assessment questionnaire was used to determine dietary habits of medical students which were related to biochemical and anthropometric markers of studied cohort. Thirty-seven young and healthy volunteers aged 19–28 years old entered the protocol and were divided according to sex and according to residence. Subjects were given questionnaires for tracking food/beverage consumption. Venous blood samples were taken after overnight fast (n = 32). Nutrient status and energy consumption were determined and analyzed. Study population had normal weight and body mass index (BMI). Biochemical characteristics were within normal reference range, while some participants had lipid profile disbalance. Men had significantly higher BMI than women. Average BMI was significantly higher in participants with elevated cholesterol levels compared to participants with normal cholesterol levels. Majority of participants consumed less than five meals per day with no major differences between students according to residence and sex. Men had significantly higher protein intake and consumed at least four meals daily compared to woman who had three or less meals daily with no differences in intake according to residence. Students with normal lipid profile consumed more carbohydrates than students with increased cholesterol. Results suggest that students with bad dietary habits have potentially higher risk for future cardiovascular problems, even before the onset of adverse effects.

Improved Nutritional Knowledge in the Obese Adult Population Modifies Eating Habits and Serum and Anthropometric Markers

Multicomponent lifestyle interventions achieve good results in the management of obesity among the adult population. However, their implementation in certain populations poses difficulties. A good level of nutritional knowledge enables people to make changes in their diet that improve their health. This study aims to assess the relationship between nutritional knowledge and nutritional parameters such as dietary intake, anthropometric parameters and biomarkers. A before–after, non-randomized interventional study involving a two-monthly nutritional educational intervention was carried out over 8 months. Anthropometric and biomarker data were collected, and nutritional knowledge was evaluated using the Bach questionnaire and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The study comprised 66 overweight and obese adults with mean age of 50.23 years. Females predominated (84.8%). At the end of the intervention, nutritional knowledge increased significantly, with a significant reduction in the consumption of sweets, soft drinks, high-fat products, and processed meats, and an increase in the intake of lean meat and poultry. A 3% decrease in body weight was observed. An intervention for the management of obesity in the adult population based on nutritional education achieves weight loss, modifications in eating habits and reduction of fat intake. Increased nutritional knowledge is associated with healthier eating habits and a decreased cardiovascular risk.

Cut-off points of anthropometric markers associated with hypertension and diabetes in Peru: Demographic and Health Survey 2018

Objective: To determine the optimal anthropometric cut-off points for predicting the likelihood ratios of hypertension and diabetes in the Peruvian population. Design: A cross-sectional study was performed to establish cut-off values for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist:height ratio (WHtR) and Conicity index (C-index) associated with increased risk of hypertension and diabetes. Youden’s index (YIndex), area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Setting: Peruvian households. Participants: Peruvian population over the age of 18 years. Results: A total of 31 553 subjects were included, 57 % being women. Among the women, 53·06 % belonged to the 25- to 44-year-old age group [mean age: 41·66 in men and 40·02 in women]. The mean BMI, WHtR and C-index values were higher in women 27·49, 0·61, 1·30, respectively, while the mean WC value was higher in men 92·12 cm (sd ± 11·28). The best predictors of hypertension in men were the WHtR (AUC = 0·64) and the C-index (AUC = 0·64) with an optimal cut-off point of 0·57 (YIndex = 0·284) and 1·301 (YIndex = 0·284), respectively. Women showed an AUC of 0·63 and 0·61 in the WHtR and C-index, respectively, with an optimal cut-off of 0·61 (YIndex = 0·236) and 1·323 (YIndex = 0·225). The best predictor for diabetes was the C-index: with an AUC = 0·67 and an optimal cut-off of 1·337 (YIndex = 0·346) for men and an AUC = 0·66 and optimal cut-off of 1·313 (YIndex = 0·319) for women. Conclusions: Our findings show that in Peruvian adults, the WHtR and the C-index have the strongest association with hypertension in both sexes. Likewise, the C-index had the strongest association with diabetes.