The objective of this study was to establish if different body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference cutoffs are required to properly identify subjects with increased diabetes and cardiovascular risk in 2 major ethnic groups in New Zealand. The study cohort included 1,539 men and women aged 17-82 years (47% Māori, 53% Whites). Analyses showed no ethnic or sex differences in the ROC curves for BMI and waist circumference in relation to measures of insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity. These anthropometric measures work as well in Māori as in white individuals for discriminating those with and without insulin resistance as well as the metabolic syndrome. The higher BMI cutoff of 32 for Māori proposed in the litterature was associated with a modest increase in specificity, but appreciable reductions in sensitivity. Thus, these results suggest that it is not necessary to propose specific BMI and waist circumference cutoffs for people of Polynesian descent.
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