Purpose: Excess abdominal adiposity has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. There has been increased discussion about the use of a new method of measuring abdominal obesity, sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD). The purpose of the present investigation was to find the best predictor of abdominal adiposity among waist circumference and SAD.
Methodology: Twenty-nine women (32-51 years) volunteered to participate in the present investigation. Each woman signed an informed consent approved by the institutional review board at the University of Arkansas. Upon arrival to the Human Performance Laboratory, each participant was measured for abdominal adiposity using the following techniques, android fat mass using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), waist circumference, and SAD. A total body DEXA scan was performed with the participant in the supine position with arms to their sides and legs together. Waist circumference was measured at the narrowest portion of the torso. SAD was measured with the subject in the supine position at the level of the umbilicus at the end of a normal expiration. Measurements were taken in duplicate to the nearest 0.5cm.
Results: Together, waist circumference and SAD accounted for 93.7% of the variance in android fat (F2,25 170.65, p<0.0001). SAD accounted for 6% of the variance above and beyond that of the waist circumference; whereas, waist circumference accounted for 1.2% of the variance in android fat after SAD has been taken into account. When analyzed separately, SAD and waist circumference accounted for 92.4% and 87.3% of the variance in android fat mass, respectively.
Conclusion: The results reveal that SAD is a stronger predictor of abdominal adiposity when compared to waist circumference alone. In fact, waist circumference adds little to the model after SAD has been taken into account. These findings suggest that between the two measurements, SAD could be used as a marker of abdominal adiposity rather than waist circumference in premenopausal women.