Association between weight-adjusted-waist index and cardiovascular diseases: a cross-sectional study based on RaNCD cohort data

Abstract

Background: The weight-adjusted-waist index (WWI) is a relatively new index to measurment obesity. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between WWI and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: This cross-sectional study included 8,899 participants from the Ravansar non-communicable diseases study (RaNCD) cohort study. The WWI was calculated by dividing waist circumference (WC) by the square root of weight. CVD is described as having a history of stroke, ischemic heart disease (IHD), angina, heart failure, myocardial infarction (MI), or using medication for CVD. The study utilized multiple logistic regression to assess the association between WWI and CVD. Results: The average age of the participants was 47.52± 8.29 years, 45.30% were men and 41.13% were rural residents. The prevalence of CVD was 17.36%. A positive association between WWI and CVD was observed. Participants in the highest quartile of WWI had a 36% (OR= 1.36, 95%CI:1.11, 1.78) higher odds of CVD than those in the lowest quartile (OR= 1.03, 95%CI: 0.79, 1.33) (Ptrend= 0.010). The subgroup analyses revealed stronger associations between WWI and CVD in participants older than 50 years of age, male, urban residents, high SES, and passive smokers (P<0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that WWI has a greater ability to predict CVD (AUC: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.61, 0.64) compared to body mass index (BMI) (AUC: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.58, 0.61) and WC (AUC: 0.61, 95%CI: 0.59, 0.62). Conclussion: The association between higher WWI and an increased risk of CVD suggests that WWI management is crucial for preventing CVD.