First reference curves of waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio of 607 children from Thessaloniki, northern Greece

Purpose: Waist circumference (WC) is a better predictor than total body fat for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and a sensitive marker of abdominal obesity for both adults and children. The purpose of this paper is to provide, for the first time, percentile curves of WC in children from Thessaloniki, northern Greece. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 607 children (324 boys-283 girls) aged 7-15 years participated in the study. Sex-specific descriptive statistics for three age groups (7-9, 10-12 and 13-15) and smoothed percentiles curves of WC were derived and presented. Findings: WC increased with age in both boys and girls. Boys had higher mean values of WC in two age groups (10-12 and 13-15 years) compared with girls, while girls showed a higher mean value in the age group of 7-9 years compared with boys. Percentile levels were higher for girls above the 90th percentile for the age groups of 7-9 and 10-12 years. WC correlated closely with body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.90 vs 0.89, for boys and girls, respectively). Reference curves of WC were provided for the first time. Considering the lack of such reference curves and also the high incidence of pediatric obesity in northern Greece's children, the paper aims to help identify and prevent early obesity risk factors associated with high WC values. Originality/value: The paper informs nutritionists and clinical dietitians of new data of percentile ranges regarding waist circumference in a pediatric population.