OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the anthropometric indexes of body adiposity (body mass index - BMI and waist circumference) and hypertension. METHODS: This is a population-based cross-sectional study, carried out from 2003 to 2004, with 1,298 individuals between 20 and 59 years of age. Individuals with blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg using anti-hypertensive medication were considered hypertensive. The associations between anthropometric indexes and hypertension were analyzed through Poisson's regression, adjusted for potential confounding factors (sex, age, schooling, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity during leisure time). The ROC curve was used to determine the best BMI cutoff point for detection of hypertension. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension was 28.3%, being 33.5% among males, and 23.5% among females. After adjustment for BMI and potential confounding factors, waist circumference lost its association with the evaluated outcomes, and BMI alone accounted for hypertension (PR = 1.05, p = 0.001). The best cutoff point for BMI for males was 25.6 Kg/m2, and for females, 25.7 Kg/m2. CONCLUSIONS: The association observed between waist circumference and hypertension in several studies may be related to the lack of control of potential confounding factors in analyses, and to the fact that the effect of total body adiposity was not eliminated. Further investigations should be conducted in the Brazilian population to check true associations among anthropometric indexes with several outcomes, also investigating the best cutoff points for such indexes.
Hypertension; Body Mass Index; Waist Circumference
