Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)

WHR (Waist-Hip Ratio): central obesity at a glance

WHR is just waist circumference divided by hip circumference: WHR = waist / hip. Take a waist of 85 cm and a hip of 100 cm and you get WHR = 0.85. The WHO flags high cardiovascular risk above 0.90 for men and 0.85 for women. Here's the intuition behind it. An apple body shape, with a high WHR and visceral fat, carries more metabolic risk than a pear shape, where the fat is subcutaneous and gluteofemoral, even when the BMI is identical. Newer literature argues that WHtR (waist / height, target <0.5) might predict better and is easier to apply across ages and sexes, yet WHR is still the number baked into most clinical guidelines.

Applications

It shows up in clinical evaluation next to BMI, in cardiovascular disease prevention, among the criteria for metabolic syndrome (where ATP-III/IDF actually rely on waist circumference rather than the full ratio), and in pre-bariatric risk stratification. All it costs is a tape measure and a minute, which makes it handy for primary care and population screening.

FAQ

How do I measure correctly? Take the waist at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the iliac crest, and the hip at the widest point of the buttocks. Keep the tape horizontal for both.

WHR or BMI? Keep both around. BMI tells you about total mass excess; WHR tells you where the fat sits, and that's what drives cardiovascular risk.

Can a lean person have high WHR? They can. The "TOFI" profile (thin outside, fat inside) pairs a normal BMI with elevated visceral fat and a high WHR.