Waist-to-Height Ratio as a Predictor of C-Reactive Protein Levels.
BACKGROUND
C-reactive protein is an acute-phase protein that has been found in association with adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk. In this paper, the objective was to assess the relationship of C-reactive protein to four anthropometric measurements: body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, C index, and waist circumference.


METHODS
A cross-sectional random sample of the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (Portuguese acronym "ERICA") was included in the study. The analysis was adjusted for the complex sampling design. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to estimate a multivariate-adjusted prevalence rate ratio expressing the relationship of each anthropometric measure to C-reactive protein. We evaluated adolescents aged 12 to 17 years participating in the capital of Porto Alegre, Brazil.


RESULTS
In all, 778 adolescents were included (60% female, 58% aged 15-17 years). Waist-to-height ratio was found to be the strongest adiposity marker associated with C-reactive protein even after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, physical activity, and insulin resistance (prevalence rate ratio = 7.09; 95% confidence interval, 5.01-9.18; p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Waist-to-height ratio is a strong predictor of C-reactive protein in adolescents in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
['Giannini|Denise Tavares|DT|', 'Kuschnir|Maria Cristina Caetano|MCC|', 'de Oliveira|Cecília Lacroix|CL|', 'Szklo|Moyses|M|']
D050154:Adiposity D000293:Adolescent D015415:Biomarkers D001827:Body Height D015992:Body Mass Index D001835:Body Weight D001938:Brazil D002097:C-Reactive Protein D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D015444:Exercise D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007333:Insulin Resistance D008297:Male D015995:Prevalence D055105:Waist Circumference
C-reactive protein cardiovascular disease adolescent insulin resistance Anthropometry obesity