[Self-rated hypertension and anthropometric indicators of body fat in elderly].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between self-rated hypertension (sf-H) and anthropometric indicators of body fat and abdominal fat, in elderly of São Paulo.

METHODS

Data on 1894 elderly were obtained from the Survey on Aging, Health and Well-being (SABE), 2000. The anthropometric indicators used were: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist/ hip ratio (WHR) and waist/height ratio (WHR). Binary logistic regression analysis, stratified by gender was used.

RESULTS

In the final model (adjusted for age, education, smoking, physical activity and diabetes), for both genders BMI had a greater statistical strength, despite the fact that, in women, it is similar to other indicators. With the exception of WHR, in men, sf-H was positively and independently associated with other indicators.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest the relevance of those indicators for an early detection of risks for the development of this disease as well as to intervene in its prevention and control.