Correlation Between Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) and Visceral Fat in Obese Adults at Ngoerah Hospital, Bali, Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22225/wmj.11.1.14312.30-38Keywords:
Obesity, Anthropometry, Waist-to-Height Ratio, Waist Circumference, Visceral Fat, Bioelectrical Impedance AnalysisAbstract
Obesity is a major global health problem associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Visceral fat is central to this risk; however, its direct measurement requires expensive equipment that is not widely available in clinical practice. The waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is a simple, low-cost anthropometric tool previously associated with cardiovascular and metabolic risk. This study aimed to determine the correlation between WHtR and visceral fat measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in adults with obesity (defined as BMI ?25.0 kg/m² according to WHO Asia-Pacific criteria) at Ngoerah Hospital, Bali, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Ngoerah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, from November 2018 to January 2019. A total of 160 adults with obesity (BMI ?25.0 kg/m² according to WHO Asia-Pacific criteria) were enrolled using total sampling. Visceral fat was estimated using BIA. Waist circumference and height were measured using standardized measuring tape, and WHtR was calculated as waist circumference divided by height (both in centimeters). Data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation test after normality testing with the Shapiro–Wilk method. Of the 160 subjects, 87 (54.4%) were male and 73 (45.6%) were female, with a median age of 33 years (range: 22–57). Both waist circumference (r = 0.658, p < 0.001) and WHtR (r = 0.676, p < 0.001) showed statistically significant positive correlations with visceral fat, with the magnitude of correlation classified as moderate to strong. Height alone was not significantly associated with visceral fat (r = 0.098, p = 0.217). WHtR demonstrates a moderate-to-strong positive correlation with visceral fat as measured by BIA in obese adults. These findings support the use of WHtR as a practical and accessible screening tool for visceral adiposity in clinical settings, particularly in populations with limited access to advanced body composition measurement technologies.
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