Effect of Age on the Association Between Waist-to-Height Ratio and Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease : The Suita Study

ABSTRACT Background: Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) has been shown to be a useful screening tool for metabolic syndromeand cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated the association of WHtR with CVD incidence by age group.Methods: We conducted a 13.0-year cohort study of Japanese adults (2600 men and 2888 women) with no historyof CVD. WHtR was calculated as waist circumference (cm) (WC) divided by height (cm). We stratified participantsby sex and age group (30–49, 50–69, ≥70 years). Using the Cox proportional hazards model, we calculated hazardratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for CVD in relation to WHtR quartile for participants aged 50 to 69 years and 70 years orolder.Results: Men aged 50 to 69 years in the highest quartile had significantly increased risks of CVD and coronaryheart disease as compared with the lowest quartile; the HRs (95% CI) were 1.82 (1.13–2.92) and 2.42 (1.15–5.12),respectively. Women aged 50 to 69 years in the highest quartile had a significantly increased risk of stroke (HR, 2.43;95% CI, 1.01–5.85). No significant results were observed in men or women aged 70 years or older. The likelihoodratio test showed that the predictive value of WHtR was greater than that of WC among men aged 50 to 69 years.Conclusions: The association between WHtR and CVD risk differed among age groups. WHtR was useful inidentifying middle-aged Japanese at higher risk of CVD and was a better predictor than WC of CVD, especially inmen.Key words: waist-to-height ratio; age difference; cardiovascular disease