Original scientific paper
Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve Analysis of BMI in Assessing Obesity among Adult Bengalee Males in India
Jyoti Ratan Ghosh
Arup Ratan Bandyopadhyay
Abstract
The present study attempted to understand the appropriateness of different body mass index (BMI) cut-off points in
assessing obesity. Four hundred thirty adult Bengalee males with mean age 36.48±12.23 years (mean ± SD) from West
Bengal, India were studied. Height, weight and percent body fat were measured and BMI was derived following standard
equation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated low sensitivity and high specificity
of international (³30 kg/m²) and proposed (³25 kg/m²) BMI cut-off points in identifying individuals with obesity. Furthermore,
these international and proposed BMI cut-off points also found to be in substantial misclassification to assess
obesity as much as 32.09% and 17.44% respectively. However, based on ROC curve analysis, a BMI cut-off point of ³24
kg/m² revealed optimal sensitivity (83.66%) and specificity (90.61%) and as well as less misclassification (11.86%) in assessing
obesity among the adult Bengalee males. The present study accentuated that the international and proposed BMI
cut-off points so far might not be appropriate in assessing obesity and on the other hand, lower BMI cut-off point (³24
kg/m²) has relatively high sensitivity and specificity in assessing obesity as well. Therefore, the present study envisages
the requirement of further lowering down of BMI cut-off point in assessing excess body fat in adult Bengalee males.
Keywords
Bengalee; body mass index; India; obesity
Hrčak ID:
26883
URI
Publication date:
3.9.2007.
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