Measure your waist and hip circumference to assess your cardiovascular and metabolic risk. A simple check you can do at home with a tape measure.
Waist: Stand up straight. Find the midpoint between the bottom of your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone (iliac crest) — this is usually at or just above the belly button. Wrap a flexible tape measure snug against the skin (not over clothing). Breathe out normally and read the measurement. Don't suck in your stomach.
Hips: Stand with feet together. Measure at the widest point around your buttocks, keeping the tape level all the way around.
Tips: Use a flexible (fabric or plastic) tape measure, not a metal one. Stand in front of a mirror to check the tape is level. Measure on bare skin or light clothing. Take the measurement twice and use the average.
WHO guidelines for WHR:
Men: below 0.90 = low risk, 0.90–0.99 = moderate risk, 1.00+ = high risk
Women: below 0.85 = low risk, 0.85–0.89 = moderate risk, 0.90+ = high risk
Waist circumference alone (NHMRC guidelines):
Men: below 94cm = low risk, 94–102cm = increased risk, above 102cm = substantially increased risk
Women: below 80cm = low risk, 80–88cm = increased risk, above 88cm = substantially increased risk
Waist circumference is the single best simple measure of abdominal fat and metabolic risk. It's now considered more useful than BMI for assessing health risk.
Fat stored around the abdomen (visceral fat) is metabolically active and releases inflammatory substances that increase risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Two people with the same BMI can have very different health risks depending on where they carry their weight.
This is why Australian guidelines now recommend measuring waist circumference as part of routine health checks, alongside or instead of BMI.
BMI measures total body mass but doesn't tell you where the fat is. Fat stored around the waist (visceral fat) is far more dangerous than fat on hips or thighs. It wraps around your organs and drives insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.
Two people with the same BMI can have very different health risks depending on their waist measurement. A "normal" BMI with a large waist is more dangerous than a "overweight" BMI with a small waist.
Men: >94cm increased risk, >102cm high risk
Women: >80cm increased risk, >88cm high risk
Stand up, breathe out normally. Measure halfway between bottom of ribs and top of hip bones. Use a cloth tape, not too tight.