Anthropometric Measurements

Question 1

Waist circumference and waist-hip-ratio what is normal

Answer 1

Abdominal obesity has different cuff-off points for males and females:

Waist Circumference (greater than)

Male 102 cm / 40 in

Female 88cm / 35 in

**WHR cuff-off values for males and females:

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Male 1
Female 0.85

How to Perform: STEPS TO DETERMINE WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO

Measure waist circumference (W) at the midpoint between the lower costal margin and the iliac crest.

Measure hip circumference (H) at the widest part of the gluteal region.

Divide waist circumference by hip circumference to get your WHR value (W/H = WHR).

Interpret patient risk based on cuff-off values (above).

Question 2

WHR and there associations

Answer 2

Clinical Relevance
Abdominal adiposity is an important independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Even after adjusting for BMI, individuals with larger waist circumferences are strongly associated with mortality and have a more than 5X greater risk of multiple cardiometabolic risk factors, compared with individuals with waist measurements below the stated cut-off values. Waist circumference is also a criterion for metabolic syndrome (defined as the presence of three or more of the following five variables: large waist circumference, hypertension, elevated triglyceride levels, low high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol levels, and elevated fasting glucose levels).

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)

Abdominal obesity (aka. apple-shaped obesity) has a much worse prognosis than gluteal-femoral obesity (aka. pear-shaped obesity). Adverse health outcomes significantly increase once WHR exceeds 1 in men and 0.85 in women. Even after controlling for BMI, WHR is strongly associated with elevated blood pressure and cholesterol level, as well as incidence of diabetes mellitus, stroke, coronary events, and overall mortality.