The relationship between waist‐to‐hip ratio, BMI index and cognitive impairment in those aged 40 years or above: A cross‐sectional study in a rural area of Xi’an, China

Background The relationship between obesity, body weight and cognitive impairment is still controversial. To analyze the correlation between BMI index, waist‐to‐hip ratio and cognitive impairment. Method This study is a cross‐sectional survey conduct during October 2014 to March 2015. Subjects who aged 40 and above and lived in a village in the suburbs of Xi'an, China were selected as the research sample. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini Mental State Scale (MMSE). Cognitive impairment was defined as a Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) score lower than the cutoff value. Specifically, the cutoff value was ≤17 for the illiterate, ≤20 for the primary school educated, and ≤24 for those educated at the junior high school level or above. Height and weight were measured to calculate the BMI index; waist circumference and hip circumference were measured to calculate the waist‐hip ratio. Multivariate logistic regression was used to correct for confounding factors. Result A total of 1792 subjects were enrolled in the study, including 726 males (40.5%), and were aged 40‐85 (average 55.53 ± 9.92) years. 230 subjects (12.8%) were diagnosed as having cognitive impairment. BMI index was 25.29 ± 3.14 kg/m2, and 433)24.2%( had BMI index 0.92. Univariate analysis showed that those with a BMI index