Your waist to hip ratio is an important tool that helps you determine your overall health risk. People with more weight around their waist are at greater risk of lifestyle related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than those with weight around their hips. It is a simple and useful measure of fat distribution.
Use a measuring tape to check the waist and hip measurements.
- Measure your hip circumference at its widest part.
- Measure your waist circumference at the belly button or just above it.
The waist to hip ratio calculator indicates your probable health risks. People with more weight around the waist, face more health risks than people who carry more weight around their hips.
If you carry too much weight around your waist, this can cause health problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Waist to hip ratio is a better indicator of your general health than BMI, because you may have a healthy weight but still have too much fat around your midsection.
In general, your waist should always be smaller than your hips:
Health Risk Based on WHR
To calculate your WHR manually, simply divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. Then compare your ratio with the table below:
| Male | Female | Health Risk Based Solely on WHR |
|---|---|---|
| 0.95 or below | 0.80 or below | Low Risk |
| 0.96 to 1.0 | 0.81 to 0.85 | Moderate Risk |
| 1.0+ | 0.85+ | High Risk |