J Formos Med Assoc
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This study examines the weight-for-length index (WLI)--weight/height/the WLI constant, where the WLI constant is the ratio between the 50th percentile weight and height for the age and sex--for its appropriateness in estimating the status of body weight among school children. The WLI constant has been calculated for practical use and rapid calculation. Using the known percentile data in the Taiwan area, this report shows evidence that the WLI constant has changed a little during the past 30 years. ⋯ In an attempt to offer support for the findings, the relationship between WLI and the overweight index (actual weight/average weight for sex, age and height) were evaluated. The correlations between the WLI and the overweight index were excellent for each sex grouping (r = 0.91 for boys and 0.89 for girls). The results also suggest that the WLI appears to be a very accurate measure of obesity (sensitivity: 88.3-92.1%, specificity: 86.9-89.9%) for all the school children in this sample.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)