OBJECTIVES:
To compare the relation between anthropometric indicators and serum triglycerides, and to identify the indicators most strongly associated with hypertriglyceridemia in older adults.
METHODS:
A population-based, cross-sectional study conducted with 316 subjects (> 60 years old) in 2011. The following were checked: triglycerides, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, conicity index, body adiposity index, triceps skinfold thickness, and waist and calf circumference.
RESULTS:
Linear regression analyses showed that waist-to-hip ration (R2 = 0.065) in women and body mass index (R2 = 0.123) in men were the indicators that best correlated with triglyceride. Poisson's regression showed that body mass index, calf circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness were the only indicators associated with hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides > 150 mg/dl) among female subjects. For male subjects, with the exception of waist-to-hip ratio and the conicity index, all other indicators were associated with hypertriglyceridemia.
CONCLUSION:
The anthropometric indicators that best explain the variability of triglyceride differ according to sex. Body mass index, calf circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness are the best anthropometric indicators for hypertriglyceridemia in older adults of both sexes.
KEYWORDS:
Anthropometry; Health of the Elderly; Risk Factors; Dyslipidemia