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Waist to height ratio is the ratio of your waist circumference to your height.įor more information on nutrition, including information on types and composition of food, nutrition and people, conditions related to nutrition, and diets and recipes, as well as some useful videos and tools, see Nutrition.įor more information on obesity, health and social issues, and methods of weight loss, as well as some useful tools, see Weight Loss. For females the normal WHR is about 0.80, while for men it is 0.95.
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Waist to hip ratio (WHR) is the ratio of your waist circumference to your hip circumference. HC is not useful on its own usually it is used as a ratio with WC as above. Hip circumference (HC) is measured by putting a tape around the widest part of your hip area over minimal clothing. Risk also varies based on ethnicity and health risk are higher with a lower WC in certain ethnic groups including Aboriginal, Pacific Islander, South Asian, Chinese and Japanese populations.
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> 102 cm (40 inch) – substantially increased risk.It is measured by putting an unstretched tape measure around the narrowest level of your waist over light or no clothing. Waist circumference (WC) is a good indicator of abdominal fat and can be used to indicate health risks. Table 2: Other measures of obesity Measure Fat around the waist (“apple” body shape) is more dangerous than that around the hips (“pear” body shape), but this will not be picked up by the BMI.Ĭonsult your healthcare giver for other physical measures that may need to be used along with BMI for assessing health risks associated with obesity. BMI does not differentiate between body fat distribution.Pregnant women will also have a higher BMI because of increased weight associated with pregnancy, but not necessarily due to increased fat. BMI will overestimate body fat in this case. Pre-pregnancy BMI and weight gain during pregnancy should be used to assess a woman’s weight and the need for exercise and nutritional interventions.This does not necessarily mean that their weight is normal or underweight. Disabled or elderly people have less muscle mass and therefore will have a lower BMI.An athlete may have a high BMI because of greater amount of muscle rather than fat). BMI does not differentiate between muscle and fat and will therefore underestimate in some and overestimate for others (e.g.Hence one’s BMI can only be compared to those of the same sex, age and race. Compromised immune function with increased susceptibility to infections.In addition they have an increased risk of developing health problems including: Individuals who are underweight may be malnourished. Some forms of cancer ( breast, colon and endometrial cancers).
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They have a moderately increased risk of: However as a group, overweight and obese individuals have an increased risk of many diseases. Other factors such as what one eats, how much they exercise and whether or not there is a history of disease in their family also influences an individual’s risk of disease. It is important to note that BMI does not determine risk alone. In Category 1 obesity (BMI 30-34.9) there is a moderate risk of disease, which increases to severe and very severe risk at obesity stages 2 (BMI 35-39.9) and 3 (BMI ≥40) respectively. Those classified overweight (BMI 25-29.9) may also be considered pre-obese and are at an increased risk of disease. The risk of disease increases with increasing BMI. Individuals who are overweight or obese have a greater risk of disease compared to those in the healthy weight range. Find and instantly book your next health appointment with Healthengineīeing either overweight (with a BMI of 25 or above) or underweight (with a BMI lower than 18.5) can affect your health.
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