Association of BMI measurements to waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio in overweight and obese children

Background Early monitoring of visceral fat is important to prevent the worsening of obesity in children. In recent years, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) measurements have gained attention as an anthropometric indexes for obesity in children. They are an easy-to-use, inexpensive, specific to visceral fat and safe monitoring methods for children. International reference values, however, do not exist for any of the two measures to determine obesity in children. Objective To compare WC and WHtR to body mass index (BMI) status in overweight and obese children aged 10-12 years. Methods This cross-sectional study included overweight and obese children aged 10-12 years from four primary schools in Semarang, Central Java. Subjects underwent anthropometric measurements including weight, height, and waist circumference. Subjects were classified as obese (≥P95) or overweight (P85≤P