Waist to height ratio

Waist to height ratio is a simple measurement for assessment of lifestyle risk and overweight. Compared to just measuring waist circumference, waist to height ratio is equally fair for short and tall persons. This calculator is valid for children and adults.

Instructions:

1. Measure your waist circumference at a horizontal line one inch above your belly button.

2. Enter waist circumference and height by turning the dials.



Ratio 0.47 OK Waist inches 80 Height ft' in'' 170

Background:

Measuring waist to height ratio is gaining popularity in the scientific society as several studies have found that this is a more valid measurement than BMI. Just measuring waist circumference is inherently biased for people taller or shorter than average population.

This calculator uses the criteria for interpretitation suggested by Ashwell.

References:

Indices of abdominal obesity are better discriminators of cardiovascular risk factors than BMI: a meta-analysis.

J Clin Epidemiol. 2008 Jul;61(7):646-53. Epub 2008 Mar 21.

Lee CM, Huxley RR, Wildman RP, Woodward M.



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.

Browning LM, Hsieh SD, Ashwell M.

Nutr Res Rev. 2010 Dec;23(2):247-69. Epub 2010 Sep 7.