The interaction of waist-hip ratio and conicity index with subcutaneous adiposity in two ethnic groups: native British and migrant Pakistani men.

The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the relationship between two indices of abdominal fatness, the waist-hip ratio (WHR) und conicity index (CI), with subcutaneous adiposity (5 trunk and 4 extremity skinfolds) in adult native British (n = 262) and migrant Pakistani (n = 100) men, resident in Peterborough, East Anglia, England. Both groups had similar body mass index (BMI), WHR and CI. Significant ethnic differences (age controlled) were observed in mean values for all trunk as well as forearm skinfolds between the two groups. The results indicated that, in general, there was no ethnic heterogeneity in the relationship (age controlled) of both the indices of abdominal adiposity with the skinfolds. However, the distributions, age, age2 and WHR controlled; and age, age2 and CI controlled, of subscapular (SUBSF), suprailiac (SUPSF), abdomen (ASF), midaxillary (MIDSF), chest (CSF), forearm (FSF) and medial calf (MCSF) skinfolds were significantly different between the two groups. Multiple regression analyses revealed that Pakistanis had significantly higher mean SUBSF, SUPSF, ASF, MIDSF, CSF and significantly lower mean FSF and MCSF than Whites, after controlling the effect of WHR. Similar significant ethnic differences were observed when the effect of CI was controlled for. This significant association of ethnicity remained even when the combined effects of WHR and CI were removed.