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Waist-to-Height Ratio Is the Best Anthropometric Index for Screening the Risk of Obesity-Related Disorders

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Asian Perspectives and Evidence on Health Promotion and Education

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Abstract

Although waist circumference has been recommended as an index of abdominal fat distribution, it has many shortcomings. For example, various cut-off values of waist circumference have been proposed for different ethnic groups, countries, and genders. The lack of height adjustment for central fat distribution makes it difficult to persuade taller and shorter people of similar waist circumferences that they have similar metabolic risks. Studies from various countries have reported that the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is more related to metabolic risks, diabetes, coronary heart disease, gout, stroke, transient ischemic attacks, early carotid intima-media thickening, and chronic kidney disease than other anthropometric indices of obesity. WHtR also has the potential for application of a single index to children, adolescents, adults of different genders and countries, and people of normal weight. This is especially important in Asia because most Asians are not prominently obese, despite the prevalence of metabolic risk factors. WHtR 0.5 may provide a useful clinical tool for screening persons at risk, and an effective public health message for the prevention of obesity-related metabolic risks and diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Management Center, Toranomon Hospital, Toranomon Seiwa Building, 1-2-3 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0001, Japan

    Shiun Dong Hsieh

  2. Department of Public Health, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan

    Takashi Muto

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  1. Shiun Dong Hsieh
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  2. Takashi Muto
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Correspondence to Shiun Dong Hsieh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan

    Takashi Muto M.D., Ph.D. (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Department of Public Health and International Health, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Toshitaka Nakahara M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. (Professor) (Professor)

  3. Healthy City Research Center Institute of Health and Welfare, Yonsei University, 234 Maeji-ri, Heungup-myun, Wounju-si, Gangwon-do, 220-710, Republic of Korea

    Eun Woo Nam (Professor) (Professor)

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Hsieh, S.D., Muto, T. (2011). Waist-to-Height Ratio Is the Best Anthropometric Index for Screening the Risk of Obesity-Related Disorders. In: Muto, T., Nakahara, T., Nam, E.W. (eds) Asian Perspectives and Evidence on Health Promotion and Education. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53889-9_32

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53889-9_32

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-53888-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-53889-9

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