Two parallel case-control studies were conducted. In both studies, subjects were measured for girth, skinfold, abdominal sagittal diameter, height, and weight. Analyses for both protocols considered men and women separately. Possible confounders of the association between fat-distribution indices and ischemic heart disease were considered and if required, adjusted for in multivariate analyses. Possible confounders included race, age, tobacco use, alcohol use, diabetes, social class, hypertension, cholesterol levels, and physical activity levels.