In men with spinal cord injuries, waist size strongly correlates with total body fat and belly fat, indicating it's a good measure of overall fatness.

Scientific Claim

In men with chronic spinal cord injury, waist circumference is positively associated with percentage body fat mass (r²=0.68, P < 0.001) and visceral adipose tissue cross-sectional area (r²=0.64, P < 0.001).

Original Statement

“The WC was positively related with both percentage body FM (r2 = 0.68, P < 0.001) and VATCSA (r2 = 0.64, P < 0.001).”

From study:Waist circumference cutoff identifying risks of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease in men with spinal cord injury

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The study is observational and demonstrates associations, so using 'associated with' is appropriate. No causation is claimed.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Waist circumference cutoff identifying risks of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease in men with spinal cord injury

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2020

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Waist circumference cutoff identifying risks of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease in men with spinal cord injury

Score: 41

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236752

Similar Assertions

For men with spinal cord injuries, using a waist size of 86.5 cm instead of 102 cm identifies more people as obese (36% vs 3%), which is a big difference.

90%

BMI, waist size, and waist-to-height ratio all relate to how much fat is stored around the belly in people with spinal cord injuries.

90%

Using a waist size of 86.5 cm instead of 102 cm in men with spinal cord injuries better identifies who has obesity based on body fat percentage, catching more true cases (68.8% vs 6.3%) while still correctly identifying most non-obese people (90% vs 100%).

88%

For men with spinal cord injuries, a waist size of 86.5 cm better detects belly fat (visceral adipose tissue) than the standard cutoff, identifying more true cases (84.6% vs 7.7%) while still correctly identifying most people without excess belly fat (91.3% vs 100%).

86%

Waist size and waist-to-height ratio are linked to five key heart disease risk factors and overall heart disease risk in people with spinal cord injuries.

83%