What is the significance of waisthip ratio in terms of health risks

To measure the circumference of their hips, stand up straight and wrap a tape measure around the widest part of the hips. Take the measurement where the ends of the tape measure overlap, again do not pull it too tight. To calculate the WHR, divide the first measurement waist circumference by the second measurement hip circumference.

Measurements can be recorded in either centimeters cm or inches in without affecting the ratio. This may be the case even if other measures of being overweight, such as body mass index BMI are in normal range. The following chart shows how the WHO classify the risk of being affected by weight related health conditions according to WHR:.

As well as using WHR to indicate how likely someone is to develop certain health conditions; it may also be used to indicate obesity. According to WHO :. If a person has a high WHR and is carrying excess weight around their waist, they may be concerned about the related health risks. To reduce these risks, it is a good idea to try to lose weight.

The best way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than are burned, usually by eating less and exercising more. Eating a healthful diet, reducing portion size, and exercising several times a week is a good place to start. A study found that a diet high in fruit and dairy and low in white bread, processed meat, margarine, and soft drinks may help reduce abdominal fat.

A doctor or nutritionist can provide further advice on how to lose weight. WHR can also be harder to interpret than waist circumference — another measurement of abdominal obesity.

Or, you might simply have put on extra muscle around your hips from working out. WHR is also not recommended for use in children. Waist-to-hip-ratio is a quick and easy way to check how much weight you carry around your middle. Use it as a guide to talk with your doctor about whether you need to lose weight and control your disease risk factors. Many studies show that green tea can help you lose weight. It contains bioactive substances that can make you burn more calories, even at rest.

Going vegan has several health and environmental benefits, but can it help with weight loss? Here's what you need to know. Here is a list of 50 healthy foods, most of which are surprisingly tasty.

Arch Intern Med. Despres JP. Health consequences of visceral obesity. Ann Med. Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio as predictors of cardiovascular events: meta-regression analysis of prospective studies. Heart J. Qiao Q, Nyamdorj R. Is the association of type II diabetes with waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio stronger than that with body mass index? Eur J Clin Nutr. International Diabetes Federation. African J Physiother Rehabilitative Sci. Obes Facts. Abdominal obesity is an independent risk factor for chronic heart failure in older people.

J Am Geriatr Soc. BMI compared with central obesity indicators in relation to diabetes and hypertension in Asians. Obesity Silver Spring. Trends in waist circumference among U.

Aging in adipocytes: potential impact of inherent, depot-specific mechanisms. Exp Gerontol. Sociodemographic factors associated with long-term weight gain, current body fatness and central adiposity in Swedish women.

Rosmond R, Bjorntorp P. Psychosocial and socio-economic factors in women and their relationship to obesity and regional body fat distribution. David M. Cutler AL-M. Education and Health: Evaluating Theories and Evidence. Socioeconomic status in relation to obesity and abdominal obesity in Korean adults: a focus on sex differences. Manifestation of cardiovascular risk factors at low levels of body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio in Singaporean Chinese. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. Waist circumference as a determinant of hypertension and diabetes in Brazilian women: a population-based study.

Public Health Nutr. Mauritius Noncommunicable Disease Study Group. Association of waist-hip ratio with diabetes mellitus. Strength and possible modifiers. Waist circumference as a measurement of obesity in the Netherlands Antilles; associations with hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Relationships between indices of obesity and its co-morbidities in multi-ethnic Singapore. The paradox of low body mass index and high body fat percentage among Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore. Beydoun MA, Wang Y. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among adult Malaysians: an update. Obes Rev. Body size, body composition, and fat distribution: a comparison of young New Zealand men of European, Pacific Island, and Asian Indian ethnicities.

Hu FB. Globalization of diabetes: the role of diet, lifestyle, and genes. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation. Obesity and weight management in the elderly. Br Med Bull. Risk factors for longitudinal bone loss in elderly men and women: the Framingham Osteoporosis Study.

J Bone Miner Res. Download references. Data supporting the findings is available upon request. EA provided the analysis and interpretation of data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

EA is Senior Biostatistician. JV, a Senior Manager. RS, an Executive. MS is a Director with the Research Division. All participants involved gave written informed consent and in the event that they were unable to do so, a written informed consent was obtained from their legally acceptable representative. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar.

Correspondence to Anitha Jeyagurunathan. Factors associated with missing data. Examination of missing data mechanisms which suggests missing not at random MNAR. DOCX 17 kb. Reprints and Permissions. Fauziana, R. Body mass index, waist-hip ratio and risk of chronic medical condition in the elderly population: results from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly WiSE Study.

BMC Geriatr 16, Download citation. Received : 02 September Accepted : 03 June Published : 18 June Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content. Search all BMC articles Search. Download PDF. Results Prevalence of those who were obese, overweight, normal and underweight based on BMI was 8. Conclusions This study demonstrates the importance of anthropometric measurements in the elderly and its association with certain chronic physical conditions, indicating their utility in the clinical management of these conditions in the elderly.

Background Statistics around the world have shown that the proportion of the elderly has been steadily increasing over the last decade [ 1 ]. Methods Sample The study used data from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly WiSE study, a comprehensive single phase, cross-sectional population-based epidemiological survey. Data collection The survey was conducted from October to December