Finding the right waist size to spot health risks in kids
Determination of Child Waist Circumference Cut Points for Metabolic Risk Based on Acanthosis Nigricans, the Children’s Healthy Living Program
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Waist circumference cut points for acanthosis nigricans were lower than IDF recommendations for boys aged 6-8 (78th percentile vs 90th percentile)
Common belief is that higher waist measurements indicate higher risk, but this study shows lower thresholds are more accurate for early detection in specific populations.
Practical Takeaways
Measure your child's waist at the level of the belly button using a flexible tape measure, then compare it to age/sex-specific charts for your region.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Waist circumference cut points for acanthosis nigricans were lower than IDF recommendations for boys aged 6-8 (78th percentile vs 90th percentile)
Common belief is that higher waist measurements indicate higher risk, but this study shows lower thresholds are more accurate for early detection in specific populations.
Practical Takeaways
Measure your child's waist at the level of the belly button using a flexible tape measure, then compare it to age/sex-specific charts for your region.
Publication
Journal
Preventing Chronic Disease
Year
2021
Authors
Ashley B. Yamanaka, James D. Davis, L. Wilkens, E. Hurwitz, M. Fialkowski, J. Deenik, Rachael Taitano Leon Guerrero, R. Novotny
Related Content
Claims (10)
Increased waist circumference is associated with a higher risk of metabolic disease and mortality, independent of total body weight.
For young kids in the Pacific islands, measuring their waist size can help spot a skin condition called acanthosis nigricans. For boys 2-5 years old, a waist size of about 58 cm (90th percentile) correctly identifies about half of the kids with the skin condition and correctly rules it out for 91% of kids without it.
In a study of over 4,000 young kids in the Pacific islands, about 5 out of every 100 had a dark, velvety skin condition called acanthosis nigricans.
For boys aged 6-8 in the Pacific islands, the waist size that best predicts the skin condition acanthosis nigricans is smaller (63.6 cm) than the standard cutoff (71.6 cm) used by the International Diabetes Federation.
For girls 2-5 years old in the Pacific islands, a smaller waist size (53.3 cm at 62nd percentile) is used to predict the skin condition acanthosis nigricans compared to boys of the same age (58.3 cm at 90th percentile).