OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the waist circumference and the waist-to-height ratio (WHTR) are predictors of cardiovascular risk factors in female adolescents. METHODS: 113 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years old were assessed according to anthropometric data (weight, height, waist circumference), biochemical and clinical parameters (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglyceride, fasting glucose, insulin, homeostasis model to assess insulin resistance - HOMA-IR), leptin, homocysteine and blood pressure. The cut points used for identification of abdominal fat were waist and WHTR values >90th percentile. RESULTS: Teenagers with abdominal obesity presented greater values of triglycerides (except for WHTR), insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while the HDL-C was reduced in the group with waist circumference >90th percentile, however without statistical significance (p=0.052). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that waist and WHTR are useful measures to identify female adolescents with a high cardiovascular risk, however the waist circumference presented a better performance.
