Cardiovascular risk assessed by the conicity index in Brazilian adults: findings from the national health survey

TL;DR

This study shows that the Conicity Index is a useful tool for assessing cardiovascular risk in Brazilian adults, especially in women and those with lower income or education.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the use of the Conicity Index in a large, nationally representative Brazilian sample to assess cardiovascular risk.

Findings

39.6% of Brazilian adults had elevated cardiovascular risk based on the Conicity Index.

Women had a significantly higher rate of cardiovascular risk compared to men.

Cardiovascular risk was associated with lower education, income, and physical inactivity.

Abstract

Anthropometric indices such as the Conicity Index (C-Index) are emerging as accessible tools to assess cardiovascular risk associated with central adiposity, a key determinant of cardiovascular disease burden in low and middle-income countries.

To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk using the CI and examine its association with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors in a nationally representative sample of Brazilian adults.

In this cross-sectional study using data from the 2013 Brazilian National Health Survey (n = 42,693; ages 30–74), cardiovascular risk was defined based on sex-specific CI cut-off points.

The overall prevalence of elevated cardiovascular risk was 39.6%, with a significantly higher rate among women (64.6%) compared to men (35.4%). Increased age, lower education, lower income, poor self-rated health, and physical inactivity were independently associated with greater cardiovascular risk, with regional and sex-based differences observed.

The CI proved to be a practical, non-invasive measure strongly associated with key social determinants of health and behavioral risk factors. These findings support its integration into public health monitoring and preventive strategies to identify at-risk groups, particularly in resource-constrained settings.