Waist-to-height ratio#calculator-field-heightcm

More than twenty-five years ago, WHtR was first suggested as a simple health risk assessment tool because "it is a proxy for harmful central adiposity"; it predicts obesity-related cardiovascular disease. A boundary value of 0.5 was proposed to indicate increased risk. A WHtR of over 0.5 is critical and signifies an increased risk; a 2010 systematic review of published studies concluded that "WHtR may be advantageous because it avoids the need for age-, sex- and ethnic-specific boundary values".{{cite journal | vauthors = Browning LM, Hsieh SD, Ashwell M | title = A systematic review of waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool for the prediction of cardiovascular disease and diabetes: 0·5 could be a suitable global boundary value | journal = Nutrition Research Reviews | volume = 23 | issue = 2 | pages = 247–269 | date = December 2010 | pmid = 20819243 | doi = 10.1017/S0954422410000144 | doi-access = free }}

According to World Health Organization guidance, the waist circumference is usually measured midway between the lower rib and the iliac crest.

{{Body roundness index}}

$$\backslash text\{WHtR\}=\backslash frac\{\backslash text\{waist\; circumference\}\}\{\backslash text\{height\}\}$$

e.g. 1: {{sfrac

|{{calculator|id=waistFormula1|formula=waistcm|default=72|type=plain}} cm

|{{calculator|id=heightFormula1|formula=heightcm|default=160|type=plain}} cm

}} {{=}} {{calculator|id=whtrFormula1|decimals=2|formula=waistcm/heightcm|default=0.45|type=plain}}

e.g. 2: {{sfrac

|{{calculator|id=waistFormula2a|formula=waistinch|default=28|type=plain}} in

|{{calculator|id=heightFormula2a|formula=heightfeet|default=5|type=plain}} ft {{calculator|id=heightFormula|formula=heightinches|default=3|type=plain}} in

}}

{{=}}

{{sfrac

|{{calculator|id=waistFormula2b|formula=waistinch|default=28|type=plain}} in

|{{calculator|id=heightInches2b|formula=heightfeet*12+heightinches|default=63|type=plain}} in

}}

{{=}} {{calculator|id=whtrFormula2c|decimals=2|formula=waistFormula2b/heightInches2b|default=0.44 |type=plain}}

Any unit will do, as long as waist and height share the same unit.

The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE):

All adults "ensure their waist size is less than half their height in order to help stave off serious health problems".

In September 2022, NICE formally adopted this guideline.{{cite web |title= Obesity: identification, assessment and management {{!}} Clinical guideline [CG189] | date=8 September 2022 |publisher=National Institute for Health and Care Excellence | url=https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg189 }} Recommendations 1.2.11 and 1.2.12

[[File:Waist_to_height_ratio_graph.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|

vertical axis: height

horizontal axis: waist circumference

colours: NICE risk level

lines: Waist-to-height-ratio

]]

The October 2022 NICE guidelines recommend boundary values for WHtR (defining the degree of "central adiposity" (abdominal obesity)) as follows:

NICE say that these classifications can be used for people with a body mass index (BMI) of under 35, for both sexes and all ethnicities, including adults with high muscle mass. The health risks associated with higher levels of central adiposity include type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. NICE have proposed the same boundary values for children of 5 years and over.

Boundary values were first suggested for WHtR in 1996 to reflect health implications and were portrayed on a simple chart of waist circumference against height. The boundary value of WHtR{{nbsp}}={{nbsp}}0.4 was suggested to indicate the start of the 'OK' range. The 0.5 boundary value was suggested to indicate the start of the 'Take Care' range, with the 0.6 boundary value indicated the start of the 'Take Action' range.

The first boundary value for increased risk of WHtR 0.5 translates into the simple message "Keep your waist to less than half your height". The updated NICE guideline says "When talking to a person about their waist-to-height ratio, explain that they should try and keep their waist to half their height (so a waist-to height ratio of under 0.5)".

A 2013 study identified critical threshold values according to age, with consequent significant reduction in life expectancy if exceeded. These are: WHtR greater than 0.5 for people under 40 years of age, 0.5 to 0.6 for people aged 40–50, and greater than 0.6 for people over 50 years of age.{{cite web | author = HospiMedica International staff writers |url=http://www.hospimedica.com/critical-care/articles/294746805/waist-height-ratio-better-than-bmi-for-gauging-mortality.html |title=Waist-Height Ratio Better Than BMI for Gauging Mortality |date=18 Jun 2013 |access-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417064352/http://www.hospimedica.com/critical-care/articles/294746805/waist-height-ratio-better-than-bmi-for-gauging-mortality.html |archive-date=17 April 2016 }}

WHtR is a proxy for central (visceral or abdominal) adiposity: values of WHtR are significantly correlated with direct measures of central (visceral or abdominal) adiposity using techniques such as CT, MRI or DEXA.

WHtR is an indicator of 'early health risk': several systematic reviews and meta-analyses of data in adults of all ages, as well as in children and adolescents, have supported the superiority of WHtR over the use of BMI and waist circumference in predicting early health risk.

Cross-sectional studies in many different global populations have supported the premise that WHtR is a simple and effective anthropometric index to identify health risks in adults of all ages, and in children and adolescents.

In a comprehensive narrative review, Yoo concluded that "additional use of WHtR with BMI or WC may be helpful because WHtR considers both height and central obesity. WHtR may be preferred because of its simplicity and because it does not require sex- and age-dependent cut-offs".

Not only does WHtR have a close relationship with morbidity, it also has a clearer relationship with mortality than BMI.

Many cross- sectional studies have shown that, even within the normal BMI range, many adults have WHtR which is above 0.5. Many children show the same phenomenon. Risk factors for metabolic diseases and mortality are raised in these subjects.

• {{anli|Allometry}}
• {{anli|Body fat percentage}}
• {{anli|Body mass index}} (Total mass divided by the square of height)
• {{anli|Body roundness index}}
• {{anli|Body shape}}
• {{anli|Body shape index}} (Waist circumference compared to its allometric average)
• {{anli|Body water}}
• {{anli|Normal weight obesity}}
• {{anli|Waist–hip ratio}}

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web |publisher=National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) |year=2022|title=Obesity: identification and classification of overweight and obesity (update) |url=https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/GID-NG10284/documents/draft-guideline}}

{{cite web |publisher=National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) |year=2022 |title=Obesity: identification and classification of overweight and obesity (update) {{!}} Recommendations 1.2.11 and 1.2.12. |url= https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg189 }}

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{{cite web | work = National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) | date = 2022 | title = Obesity: identification and classification of overweight and obesity (update) Recommendations 1.2.25 and 1.2.26. | url = https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg189 }}

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}}

Category:Body shape

Category:Classification of obesity

Category:Medical signs

Category:Anthropometry

Category:Waist