Waist circumference, body mass index, and other measures of. It measures the proportion by which fat is distributed around the torso waisthip ratios of 0. Waist circumference is considered a good estimate of your body fat, especially your internal fat deposits, and your likelihood of developing weightrelated disease. What are the biological mechanisms responsible for the association between waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk. Circumference around the fullest part of your chest, typically just under your armpit. For women, a waist circumference of 80 centimetres or more indicates an increased risk of chronic disease and a measurement of 88 centimetres or more indicates a higher increased risk of chronic disease. Pdf comparisons of waist circumferences measured at 4 site. The practical guide national heart, lung, and blood.
Feb 22, 2016 in all studies except for the nhanes, waist circumference was measured according to the who procedures. There are few populationbased studies of the longitudinal changes of abdominal obesity. Hip circumference was measured around the largest portion of the buttocks. Jun 04, 2019 when working to reduce your waist size, keep your focus on body fat reduction through a combination of healthy eating, aerobic exercise and strength training. Waisthip ratio is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. 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. Predicting waist circumference from body mass index bmc. Waist circumference is the measurement around the waist that can indicate whether people are at risk for certain diseases often associated with obesity. To assess the abdominal obesity by measuring the waist circumference among the women who were aged 20 years and above in an urban. Your waist is the soft area just above the hip bone, below your rib cage. A gauge of abdominal obesity, obtained by measuring the abdomen at the level of the superior iliac crest with a tape measure.
Measurement of waist circumference midabdominal or iliac crest. Waist circumference it doesnt make sense to take a tape measure to your stomach more than every four to six weeks, and hartley says every six months to one year is optimal. The measurement was taken at the end of expiration. Sep 21, 2016 abdominal obesity increases allcause mortality and is a risk factor for a number of diseases. Bmi and waist circumference chart is an essential tool for primary care professionals and anyone involved in wellness and weight counseling.
Anatomical location for waist circumference measurement in. These methods, however, are expensive and not readily available for clinical practice. Apr 24, 2017 your waist tohip ratio may be a better way to gauge your health, researchers say. In all studies except for the nhanes, waist circumference was measured according to the who procedures. Even at a healthy weight, excess fat carried around the waist can increase your risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, heart disease and type2 diabetes. Waist circumference wc, body mass index bmi, waisthip ratio whr, waistheight ratio whtr, and visceral adiposity index vai were examined. A comparison between bmi, waist circumference, and waistto. A cohort of 1,898 subjects who were without diabetes from 2006 to 2012 were followed for a median of.
How does the predictive power of waist circumference compare with that of bmi. Jan 15, 20 body mass index bmi is more commonly used than waist circumference as a measure of adiposity in clinical and research settings. Forget your bmi and focus on your waistline instead. With this tool, its easy to find the patients body mass index bmi score based on their height and weight and to discover if the patient has a highrisk waistline. Control your waist circumference, and your risk for diabetes and. 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. Circumference of a circle key concept words the circumference c of a circle is equal to its diameter d times.
In postmenopausal women estrogens deficiency plays an important role in the change of body composition and fat tissue distribution 6. Waist circumference was measured with a heavyduty inelastic plastic fiber tape measure prymdritz usa, spartanburg, sc placed directly on the skin while the subject stood balanced on both feet, with the feet touching each other and both arms hanging freely. Although both body mass index bmi and waist circumference wc measure the level of overweight and obesity, wc may be more important because of its closer relationship to total body fat. Being overweight or obese increases risk for cardiometabolic disorders. For this reason, waist circumference cutoffs may need to be adjusted, in the future, based on age and ethnicity. Guide to physical measurements step 2 who steps surveillance. Trends in mean waist circumference and abdominal obesity. The expert consultation on waist circumference and waist hip ratio contributed to the implementation of the global strategy and ncd action plan. Research design and methods a cohort of 1,898 subjects who were without diabetes from 2006 to 2012 were followed for a median of 31 months taiwan lifestyle study. Step 4 with the help of a mirror, ensure that the tape is placed horizontally and wraps all around your. Iliac crest locate the uppermost border of your hipbones iliac crest on your righthand side.
My goal is to hit 180, albeit very slowly, and ive got about 5 pounds to go to meet my goal for this year. Protocol to measure waist circumference were based on the procedure by ma et al. Waist circumference is one of the most practical tools to assess abdominal fat for chronic disease risk and. Bmi vs weight vs waist circumference shape magazine. Comparison of waist circumference, body mass index. Waist circumference is a simple and valuable anthropometric measure of total and intraabdominal body fat.
Thus, an exploratory study was developed to examine which waist circumference best explains abdominal fat mass in older adults. The practical guide will be distributed to primary care physicians, nurses, registered dietitians, and nutritionists as well as to other interested health care practitioners. Aug 10, 2010 your waist is the soft area just above the hip bone, below your rib cage. Waist circumference as a measure for indicating need for. Your waist measurement is a good indicator of your overall health. Body mass index bmi was calculated by the following equation. Measuring your waist takes less than a minute and all you need is a tape measure. Although waist circumference and bmi are interrelated, waist circumference provides an independent prediction of risk over and above that of bmi. The expert consultation on waist circumference and waisthip ratio contributed to the implementation of the global strategy and ncd action plan. In nhanes n 1128 waist circumference was assessed according to the national institutes of health nih procedure and an equation was applied so that all wc results refer to. Waisthip circumference measurements are taken to provide additional information on weight and obesity.
The waist to hip ratio whr and waist to height ratio whtr were then calculated. Measuring waist circumference can help to assess obesityrelated health risk. Waist circumference is particularly useful for individuals with a bmi of 2534. Your waist circumference is a clue to whether youre at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high. Because of our jean size, we sometimes think our waist measurement is lower than it actually is. The best way to find out if your waistline is increasing your risk of heart disease is to measure it. When it comes to determining whether a person is overweight, body mass index bmi is the most widely used. Waist circumference wc is a measurement used to estimate abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat stores. Stand in front of a mirror ensure your abdomen is unrestricted and clear feet shoulderwidth apart man woman step 2 wrap the measuring tape around your waist and insert the end of the tape into the appropriate slot.
They also do not apply to pregnant women or people from certain noneuropean. Circumference is the perimeter of, or the distance around a circle. This study determined whether the magnitude of wc differs across four measurement sites, and quantified the influence of site on the apparent prevalence of abdominal obesity. That is, our waist circumference should be less than half our height, even if. These measurements apply only to adults, not to children. Although regression models that account for the nonlinear association, as well as the influence of sex, age, and race, can yield more accurate estimates of pbf dxa, estimates based on bai are not more accurate than those based on bmi, waist circumference, or hip circumference. Waist circumference, body mass index, and other measures. To derive optimal body mass index bmi and waist circumference thresholds for children and adolescents, to predict risk factor clustering. Pdf objective waist circumference wc is used to define central obesity. Waist circumference is strongly associated with risk of death, independent of bmi.
Both males and female nonsmokers have a slightly increased years of life lost at waist circumference 0. Waist circumference measurement guidelines selfmeasurement pdf 201 kb waist circumference measurement guidelines healthcare professional pdf 272 kb version francaise. Waisttoheight ratio is more predictive of years of life lost than body mass index 2 these two studies found that the least amount of years of life lost is associated with a waist to height ratio of 0. This study aimed to compare the performance of two recommended locations of wc measurement. When measuring your waist to assess your diabetes risk, you should take a tape measure and measure around your belly at the mid point between the top of your hips and the bottom of your ribs. Abdominal obesity measurement guidelines for different ethnic. Waist circumference measurement is particularly useful in patients who are categorized as normal or overweight on the bmi scale. Your waist circumference is usually measured at the level of your belly button, not where you wear your pants. Waist circumference measurement guidelines my healthy waist. Your waist size is not usually the same as your jean size. A total of 1,518 peruvian adults were included in this study.
Waist circumference and waistheight ratio charts canadian. Waist circumference is used as an indicator of abdominal obesity and is associated with the cardiovascular diseases. To take waist and hip circumference measurements you will need. It should be level all the way around your waist, using your belly button as a. For example, waist circumference is a better indicator of disease risk than bmi in asianamericans and in older individuals. Objective waist circumference wc is used to define central obesity. Waist circumference definition of waist circumference by. The prevalence of each mets component was determined according to tertiles of each anthropometric measure. Higher values of wc wc greater than 102 cm for men and greater than 88 cm for women are associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood. Among nonasian american males, a waist circumference greater than 40 in 102 cm increases the risk of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and heart disease.
Because wc is typically not assessed in clinical practice, this study sought to develop and verify a model to predict wc from bmi and. Jan 28, 2020 a high amount of body fat can lead to weightrelated diseases and other health issues. Sep 01, 2008 waist circumference were taken midway between the inferior margin of the last rib and the iliac crest at the end of expiration. Based on data from the tromso study, we studied gender and agespecific mean waist circumference and prevalence of abdominal overweight and abdominal obesity in two surveys in 19941995 tromso 4, 6812 men. Dec 20, 2017 waist circumference is used as an indicator of visceral fat which plays a causative role in many chronic diseases. However, bmi and waist circumference are not diagnostic tools for disease risks. What you need to know about your bmi and waist measurement kind of important duration. The purpose of this study was to compare the associations of bmi and waist circumference with cardiorespiratory fitness.
Step 3 align the bottom edge of the measuring tape with the top of your hipbones. Waist circumference may be a better indicator of health risk than bmi alone, especially when used in combination with bmi. The power of waist circumference to predict disease risk may vary by ethnicity and age 14. All you need is a measuring tape to measure your waist circumference. Waist circumference, waisthip ratio and waist height ratio. What is the power of waist circumference to predict adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. Anatomical location for waist circumference measurement in older. Waist circumference measurement is noninvasive and is easily accomplished by trained observers in clinical and research settings. In a crosssectional study of 403 healthy men and women aged 50 8.
Who steps protocol for measuring waist circumference instructs that the measurement be made at the approximate midpoint between the. Your waist circumference matters more than your weight. Waist circumference measurement in clinical practice. Body mass index bmi and waist circumference healthdirect. Body mass index bmi and waist circumference are screening tools to estimate weight status in relation to potential disease risk. Another way to estimate your potential disease risk is to measure your waist circumference. The international diabetes federations definition of the metabolic syndrome uses ethnicspecific criteria to define abdominal obesity. This study shows that waist circumference may be a simpler measure for identifying need for weight management. Measurement of waist and hip circumference with a body.
Countryethnic group waist circumference cut points eur. For individuals with a bmi than 35, waist circumference adds little predictive power on the disease risk classification of bmi. Why waist circumference and waist to height ratio is so. Crosssectional receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Ross and colleagues in an attempt to standardize the measurement of waist circumference. Excessive abdominal fat may be serious because it places you at greater risk for developing obesityrelated conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. Body height in cm and weight in kg were measured with the measuring station seca 285.
Body mass index is commonly used to identify those with a health risk from being overweight. Waist circumference wc, body mass index bmi, waist hip ratio whr, waist height ratio whtr, and visceral adiposity index vai were examined. How to measure your waist circumference properly disabled world. Waist circumference wc has been used as a measure of abdominal obesity because it is wellcorrelated with underlying visceral fat, and is highly associated with type 2 diabetes and inflammatory. Variability in waist circumference measurements according. Waist circumference wc is used to define central obesity. Comparisons of waist circumferences measured at 4 site article pdf available in american journal of clinical nutrition 772. The bogalusa heart study, a communitybased study of cardiovascular disease risk factors in early life. You can always ask a friend or family member to help you as well if you cant do it on your own. 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. Research with these techniques, nonetheless, has shown that the waist circumference correlates with the amount of fat in the abdomen, and thus is an indicator of the severity of abdominal obesity. Pdf waist circumference as measure of abdominal fat. Measure waist circumference as described on page 9.
According to the centers for disease control and prevention, more than onethird of americans 34. A high amount of body fat can lead to weightrelated diseases and other health issues. What else do i need to know about bmi and waist circumference. Take measurements correctly, whether using a scale, measuring tape, calipers, or a sophisticated tech device, she recommends. How to measure your waist circumference and waisttohip ratio. It is recommended that you measure your waist circumference when standing in front of a mirror in your undergarments or without any clothing that would interfere with taking the measurement. Circumference around the fullest part of your stomach. The national institutes of health says that a high.
Waist circumference were taken midway between the inferior margin of the last rib and the iliac crest at the end of expiration. Comparison of waist circumference, body mass index, percent. Waist circumference and waisthip ratio world health organization. But it can help you and your doctor to determine where fat is located on your body and if that fat may cause health problems for you in the future. The measurement of waist circumference wc is widely advocated as a simple anthropometric marker of health risk. Anthropometry is the study of the measurement of the human body in terms of the dimensions of bone, muscle, and adipose fat tissue. The csep health and fitness program has officially accepted the recommendations of dr.
Waist circumference alone cannot indicate that you have a medical condition or that youll get one in the future. Measure hold the end of the tape measure at your navel and bring it around your waist to the front. Healthy weight and waist heart and stroke foundation. Waist circumference and waisttoheight ratio are better predictors of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children than body mass index s. In nhanes n 1128 waist circumference was assessed according to the national institutes of health nih procedure and an equation was applied so that all wc results refer to the who procedures. Waist circumference measurement guidelinesselfmeasurement step 1 place yourself in the following manner. Waist circumference a tool to assessing will be assess abdominal fat and health status. Your waist circumference measurement is a very important number to know, especially if you are currently diagnosed with a chronic disease or have a family history of diabetes or heart disease. Two methods that are commonly used to estimate whether you are a healthy weight or not are body mass index bmi and waist circumference. So waist circumference is a measure of the distance around the abdomen. This is not the only indication of too much body fat, but it can be an easy estimate as to whether people should consider losing weight. Measuring waist circumference since its the time of the year where i worry a bit more about aesthetics, i am focusing on shedding a few pounds. It is not clear whether measuring waist circumference in clinical practice is problematic because the measurement error is. Comparisons of waist circumferences measured at 4 sites.
A comparison between bmi, waist circumference, and waist. Waist circumference an overview sciencedirect topics. To examine the extent to which measures of adiposity can be used to predict selected components of metabolic syndrome mets and elevated creactive protein crp. Waist circumference as measure of abdominal fat compartments article pdf available in journal of obesity 201.
1032 946 783 1635 1581 797 753 690 273 1145 704 122 1237 31 1230 787 825 1169 975 541 402 674 748 1323 1213 1300 344 1147 1440 196 813 1320 1024 1231 282 253 563 161