RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate which of the anthropometric parameters that estimate overweight and obesity are the best predictors of insulin resistance (IR) in adults from Family Medicine Unit N degrees 80 of IMSS in Morelia, Michoacán, México. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional study. SETTING: Family Medicine Unit N 80 of Mexican Social Security Institute in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 147 adults with overweight or obesity. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Age and sex. Anthropometrics: weight, body mass index (BMI), waist and mid arm circumference, % corporal fat; Skin folds thickness: bicipital, tricipital, subscapularis, abdominal skin folds; analyses: glucose, lipid profile, insulin; clinical: diastolic and systolic pressure, cardiovascular risk and insulin resistance by HOMA > or =2.5. RESULTS: IR was found in 41.49% of patients. ROC curves were made and the cut off point of bicipital skin fold > or =4.50mm, mid arm > or =27.50 cm were predictors of IR in 97.4%; BMI > or =25kg/m(2) was a predictor of IR in 92.3%, and by linear regression these parameters were the better predictors of IR. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 41.49% of patients were identified with IR (HOMA > or =2.5). BMI, bicipital skins fold and mid arm were the better predictors of IR. Specific studies are needed to determine the optimum cut off point of different parameters for estimating overweight and obesity in each sector in México.