Waist-to-Height Ratio

The waist-to-height ratio is another means by which health care professionals estimate an individual’s body composition in order to evaluate his overall health.¹

Although the Body Mass Index (BMI) is generally more well known than the waist-to-height ratio for measuring body composition, many physicians believe the waist-to-height ratio the better of the two.² This superiority is due to the fact that BMI can be skewed by an individual’s frame or quantity of muscle mass. In fact, the European Congress on Obesity recently stated that the waist-to-height ratio is the best way to predict a person’s risk of serious health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Unlike BMI, the waist-to-height ratio is based on waist size, which is the most dangerous place to carry weight and takes into account an individual’s frame.

How to Determine Your Weight-to-Height Ratio

First, measure your waist size with a tape measure at the belly button. Do not measure your waist where your pants sit because this is often smaller than your waist at the belly button. It is important to actually measure your waist size and not rely on your pant size because many clothing manufactures actually make their sizes larger than they state on the label to avoid offending customers.