These measurements may been studied and thought be an indicator of increased disease risk. Waist to hip ratio whr measurement can be used to help determine obesity. The accuracy of waist to hip ratio will between individuals. Waist circumference definition of waist circumference by. At the same time waist to hip ratio helps indicate increased risk of disease and mortality. Waisthip ratio is the dominant risk factor predicting.
In some populations, waist circumference is a better indicator of relative disease risk than is bmi. Understanding your waist to hip ratio maintaining a healthy weight can help you in many ways. The csep health and fitness program has officially accepted the recommendations of dr. These variations may partly explain differences between ethnic or age groups in the power of waist circumference or waist to hip whr ratio to predict disease risks. Apply the blank tape at the widest part, usually between the greater trochanter top of the thigh bone and the lower buttock level, with the volunteers legs together. Hip circumference and incident metabolic risk factors in chinese. Waist to hip ratio is the measurement that warns of obesity and cardiovascular disease cvd. This method summarises the distribution by three smooth curves representing. Although waist circumference measurement sites vary, hip circumference is most commonly measured at the greatest protrusion of the buttocks while the patient is standing with their feet together. Body mass index and waisthip ratio are related to human health and both play a role in mate choice. Waist and hip circumferences, and waisthip ratio in 19. Adding waist and hip circumference to a framinghamtype model increased.
Your waist circumference is one way to determine whether you have an increased amount of fat around your belly and whether youre at an increased health risk. Waist and hip circumferences, and waisthip ratio in 19 populations of the who monica project article pdf available in international journal of obesity 23. Waist circumference is considered a good estimate of your body fat, especially your internal fat deposits, and your likelihood of developing weightrelated disease. Ross and colleagues in an attempt to standardize the measurement of waist circumference. Comparison of relative waist circumference between asian. Measurement of waist and hip circumference with a body. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes, so you wont find a chart that lists standard waist and hip size to go with each height and weight. The good news is that you can take steps toward lowering your health risks. It is very possible to be within ones suggested weight range on the heightweight chart and still carry too much fat. This is a crosssectional study conducted within the university of ibadan, university college hospital, ibadan and their immediate environs. Wc and hip circumference hc are usually assessed in manual measurements mm with flexible but nonstretchable tapes according to guidelines by the world health organization who at the midpoint between the last rib and the iliac crest, and at the level of the largest lateral extension of the hips, respectively, both in a horizontal plane. In order to compare the sexspecific prevalence of overweight and obesity among the four ethnic groups, we used the currently accepted definitions based on bmi and. Some experts suggest waist circumference may be a better predictor of visceral fat than widely used waist to hip ratio pouliot, et al 1994.
The formula for whr is hip circumference divided by waist circumference. Personhip circumference measured, total centimetres nnn. Bmi was the predominant determinant 77% in men, 75% women. The ratio is a very popular measurement for doctors to obtain because it can be used as quick risk factor assessment. Results the waist hip ratio was the best anthropometric predictor of total mortality, with the multivariableadjusted relative risk for quintile 5 vs 1 of 1. This ratio can help you determine your body shape and whether you want to take extra steps to limit your risk for obesityrelated health issues. How to measure your waist circumference and waisttohip. Hip circumference was measured at the gluteal prominence, and the waisthip ratio was calculated. Is used in the formation of adultwaisttohip ratio, n.
A 31 waist measurement divided by a hip measurement of 43 will yield a whr of 0. Waist circumference may be a better indicator of health risk than bmi alone, especially when used in combination with bmi. This is calculated as waist measurement divided by hip measurement w. It looks at the relationship between the circumference measurements of your waist and hips and can be used as a measurement of your health. Read the tape measure and record the waist circumference in inches. According to waist circumference national heart, lung, and. Weight concentrated around the middle is often referred to as an. Evan matthews explaining how to perform a waist and hip circumference measurement which can then be used to calculate waisttohip ratio. Waist circumference is particularly useful for individuals with a bmi of 2534. However, previous research is inconsistent as to what body mass index and waisthip ratio values are preferred in women and what the relative importance of body mass index and waisthip ratio for attractiveness is.
Whr is a measure of waist circumference relative to hip circumference. Your waist to hip ratio may beat the scale at predicting heart disease, a british study shows the study is the latest research linking belly fat to. Aug 19, 2016 this video explains how to accurately measure your waist and hip circumferences and find out your waist to hip ratio. To measure waist circumference locate the top of the hip bone. Waist circumference may overestimate health risk in tall individuals and underestimate health risk in short individuals welborn, et al 2003 and weight trained individuals, or those with thicker waist. Hip circumference, abdominal obesity, and mortality. Waist circumference measurement log form pdf 272 kb waist circumference measurement guidelines selfmeasurement pdf 201 kb waist circumference measurement guidelines healthcare professional pdf 272 kb version francaise. Waist circumference and waist to hip ratio are measures of central adiposity that appear to predict cardiovascular and diabetes risk better than bmi srikanthan, seeman, and karlamangla 2009. Two methods that are commonly used to estimate whether you are a healthy weight or not are body mass index bmi and waist circumference. A cohort study of 1,669 patients with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease ckd was conducted by elsayed et al. Body mass index bmi and waist circumference healthdirect. Whr is a measurement tool that looks at the proportion of fat stored on your waist, and hips and buttocks. Evan matthews explaining how to perform a waist and hip circumference measurement which can then be used to calculate waist to hip ratio. Waist to hip whr is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips.
To determine your waisttohip ratio, divide your waist circumference in inches by your hip circumference in inches. The aim of this study was to present age references for waist circumference wc, hip circumference hc, and waisthip ratio whr in dutch children. Place the tape measure evenly around the bare abdomen at the level of this bone. This video explains how to accurately measure your waist and hip circumferences and find out your waist to hip ratio. Hip circumference data should not be rounded before categorisation. Understanding your waisttohip ratio maintaining a healthy weight can help you in many ways. Percentiles, waist circumference, waisthip ratio, waistheight ratio. The best way to find out if your waistline is increasing your risk of heart disease is to measure it.
Studies suggested that waist circumference and waist to hip ratio are better indicators of the risk of. Abdominal obesity increases allcause mortality and is a risk factor for a number of diseases. Much research denotes that the waisttohip ratio is the superior health riskcategorizing indicator. Monitoring changes in waist circumference over time may be helpful, in addition to measuring bmi, since it can provide an estimate of increased abdominal fat even in the absence of a change in bmi. Research shows that people with bodies with more weight around the waist face more health risks than those with bodies who carry more weight around the hips. Waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, and body mass index. The national institutes of health says that a high waist circumference is associated with an increased risk for health conditions like hypertension, elevated blood lipids, type 2 diabetes. Mean hip circumference ranged from 94105cm and from 97108cm in men and women, respectively, and mean whr from 0. Waist circumference, hip circumference, obesity, mortality, south. The waisthip ratio or waisttohip ratio whr is the dimensionless ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. Waist circumference, waist hip ratio, bmi has at least one tie between the positive actual state group and the negative actual state group.
Hip was taken as the greatest circumference at the level of greater trochanters the widest portion of the hip on both sides. These numbers are useful to track, in addition to weight and bmi, when. Being overweight can raise your risk of health issues such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and some types of cancers. Waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, and body mass. Use a tape measure to check your waist circumference by measuring the distance around your waist just above the belly button. Reference values of waist circumference and waisthip. The prevalence of obesity is rising in both developed and developing nations. Body mass index, waisthip ratio and risk of chronic medical. It was measured to the nearest cm with a tape measure. Higher values of whtr indicate higher risk of obesityrelated cardiovascular diseases. A high waist circumference is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cvd in patients with a bmi in a range between 25 and 34. Waist circumference and waisttohip ratio are measures of central adiposity that appear to predict cardiovascular and diabetes risk better than bmi srikanthan, seeman, and karlamangla 2009. Whr is calculated by dividing your waist circumference by your hip circumference. Much research denotes that the waist to hip ratio is the superior health riskcategorizing indicator.
Many studies have used the ratio of waist and hip circumferences as a means of capturing aspects of body shape that are poorly detected by body mass index. Your waisttohip ratio may beat the scale at predicting heart disease, a british study shows the study is the latest research linking belly fat to. Crosssectional data were obtained from 14,500 children of dutch origin in the age range 021 years. These measurements may been studied and thought be an indicator of increased disease risk if both are increased. A gauge of abdominal obesity, obtained by measuring the abdomen at the level of the superior iliac crest with a tape measure. For individuals with a bmi than 35, waist circumference adds little predictive power on the disease risk classification of bmi. The influence of hip circumference on the relationship between.
Ensure that the tape is sung but does not push tightly into the skin. Waist to hip ratio whr whr was determined by dividing waist circumference by hip circumference. Healthy weight and waist heart and stroke foundation. Data collected were analyzed after excluding outliers in the study variables 3 sd zscore. Position the client with feet shoulder width apart and arms crossed over the chest in a relaxed manner. The american college of sports medicine reccommends a bmi of 2224 for men. Thanks to waist to hip ratio the distribution of fat is evaluated by dividing waist size by hip size. Together, height, body mass index bmi, age group and population explained about 80% of the variance in waist circumference. Pdf waist and hip circumferences, and waisthip ratio in 19. The whtr is a measure of the distribution of body fat. Results waist circumference was strongly related to mortality only after adjustment for hip circumference and vice versa. Waist to hip ratio whr is the ratio of your waist circumference to your hip circumference calculated by dividing the waist circumference by the hip circumference. Hence waist circumference wc or the waistto hip ratio whr, as indicators of abdominal obesity, may be better predictors of risk than the.
National references were constructed with the lms method. You will, however, find a healthy weight range for each height, a healthy waist size range for a given hip size, and a healthy waist size range for a specific height. Waist circumference, body mass index and waist to hip ratio for. Among nonasian american males, a waist circumference greater than 40 in 102 cm increases the risk of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and heart disease. If your belly has bulged out enough to catch up to the size of your hips, you should start worrying. A persons waisttoheight ratio whtr, also called waisttostature ratio wsr, is defined as their waist circumference divided by their height, both measured in the same units. In the case of severe obesity, several markers, such as hip and waist circumference, are prone to measurement error. Both may be important inclusions in cvd risk prediction models. Measurement of waist circumference equipment ke anthropometric tape or equivalent procedure clear the clients abdomen of all clothing and accessories. Measuring waist circumference can help to assess obesityrelated health risk. Pdf waist and hip circumferences, and waisthip ratio in. Results the waisthip ratio was the best anthropometric predictor of total mortality, with the multivariableadjusted relative risk for quintile 5 vs 1 of 1. During the pvdomics study each participant will undergo waist circumference and waisthip ratio measurements.
Waist circumference and waisthip ratio world health organization. However, epidemiological and clinical applications of the sad measurement are hampered by a lack of reference ranges and cut points to assign risk categories based on a representative u. This is a crosssectional study conducted within the university of ibadan, university college hospital, ibadan and. The study is based on data from the us national health and nutrition survey, cycle iii n11,930 children ages 224 years from years 19881994. Reference values of waist circumference and waisthip ratio. Waisthip ratio whr is a tool to assess distribution of body fat. Waist hip ratio whr is a tool to assess distribution of body fat. There are few populationbased studies of the longitudinal changes of abdominal obesity.
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