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Waist Circumference (WC) is a useful measure of excess fat; it can be used as an additional measure to
the Body Mass Index. It is especially for apple body shapes. Lean (1995) in his research concluded that
Waist Circumference could be used in health promotion programmes to identify individuals who should seek
and be offered weight management.
NHS (UK) reports that too much fat around your waist can raise your risk of serious health problems, such
as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some types of cancer.
Our waist circumference calculator uses the ranges provided by NHS and WHO.
| Risk Factor |
Female (cm) |
Male (cm) |
| Low |
below 80 |
below 94 |
| Moderate |
80 to 87 |
94 to 101 |
| High |
88 or more |
102 or more |
Please note that waist circumference ranges do not address underweight categories. If
you are concerned about being underweight, please seek a trained healthcare provider.
See also: Measuring your waist
References
2016, January, 20. What is your BMI? Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/BodyMassIndex.aspx
2016, February 15. Sponholtz TR, Palmer JR, Rosenberg L, Hatch EE, Adams-Campbell LL, Wise LA. Body Size,
Metabolic Factors, and Risk of Endometrial Cancer in Black Women, American Journal of Epidemiology,
Volume 183, Issue 4, 15 February 2016, Pages 259–268, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwv186
2016, Jun, 15. Obesity. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity
2008, December, 8-11. Waist Circumference and Waist-Hip Ratio. Report of a WHO Expert Consultation.
Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/44583/1/9789241501491_eng.pdf
1995, July 15. Lean M, Han T, Morrison C. Waist circumference as a measure for indicating need for weight
management. BMJ. 1995;311:158-61. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2550221/
