Statistical comparison of the internal validity (sensitivity, specificity and safety) of three anthropometric indices used in the diagnosis of pathological nutritional situations overweight and obesity

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, obesity is growing at an alarming rate, as it is now estimated that more than 250 million people are obese in the world, or 7% of the adult population. Obesity is defined as a generally chronic multifactorial pathological entity manifested by a condition of excess body fat associated with many chronic–degenerative conditions and disorders, mostly treatable. To compare the internal validity (sensitivity, specificity and safety) of the Body Mass Index versus the internal validity of the Waist/Hip Index versus the internal validity of the Abdominal Circumference as diagnostic methods of overweight and obesity in adults aged 18–64 years of either gender who attended the Integral Hospital "Jose Maria Morelos" in the Mayan municipality of Jose Maria Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, during the period comprised from 1 August 2017 to 31 July 2018. The study design corresponds to that of a descriptive observational epidemiological study without directionality and with prospective temporality. A total of 300 observation units [119 (39.67%) of the male gender and 181 (60.33%) of the female gender] of 18–64 years of age were studied in the period from August 1, 2017 to July 31, 2018. Mantel–Haenszel Ji–Square statistic (x2M–H) was used as hypothesis test or statistical significance test. The software Epi lnfo for Windows, Version 7.1.5.2, was used to obtain the values of the statistic x2M–H and of the probabilities (p). According to Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM–174–SSA1–1998, 171 (57.00%) observation units with overweight and obesity were tagged and 129 (43.00%) observation units without overweight and obesity were tagged. The diagnostic test with the highest sensitivity (82.46%) was the Body Mass Index; the diagnostic test with the greatest specificity (58.14%) was the Waist/Hip Index; and the diagnostic test with the highest safety (70.67%) was also the Body Mass Index.