A comparison of proxy measures of abdominal obesity in Chinese, European and South Asian adults

Summary Aims To assess whether four proxy measures of abdominal obesity (waist circumference; waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR); waist‐to‐height ratio and C index, a measure of body shape) were uniformly associated with features of the metabolic syndrome (triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, 2‐h glucose) in three ethnic groups. Methods Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected in 629 Europeans (320 men, 309 women), 380 Chinese (183 men, 197 women) and 597 South Asians (275 men, 322 women) aged 25–64 years in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Linear regression models were used to determine whether relationships differed between ethnic groups. Results Linear regression analysis showed that most proxy measures of abdominal obesity were associated with features of the metabolic syndrome. There were significant interactions between WHR and ethnicity and C index and ethnicity in the relationship with log triglycerides when comparing European and Chinese women. Interactions existed between all proxy measures and ethnicity in the relationship with log triglycerides and HDL cholesterol when comparing European and South Asian women. In men, interactions between ethnicity and wai