It is used to check for fat held around the stomach.
To measure your waist circumference, use a tape measure. Start at the top of your hip bone, then bring the tape measure all the way around, level with your belly button. Make sure it's not too tight and that it's straight. Don't hold your breath while measuring. For your best health, your waist should measure no more than 40 inches for men, 35 inches for women. If it's larger than that, you may want to talk with your doctor about what your next steps are, including losing weight. A high amount of body fat can lead to weight-related diseases and other health issues and being underweight can also put one at risk for health issues. BMI and waist circumference are two measures that can be used as screening tools to estimate weight status in relation to potential disease risk. However, BMI and waist circumference are not diagnostic tools for disease risks. Waist circumference can be used as a screening tool but is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual. A trained healthcare provider should perform appropriate health assessments in order to evaluate an individual's health status and risks. To measure waist circumference locate the top of the hip bone. Place the tape measure evenly around the bare abdomen at the level of this bone. Read the tape measure and record the waist circumference in inches. Waist circumference is one of the most practical tools to assess abdominal fat for chronic disease risk and during weight loss treatment. A high waist circumference or a greater level of abdominal fat is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease For women, the waist circumference should not be more than 102 cm. With as low as 94 cm, the health risks are increased. A study published in 1995 studied 904 men and 1014 women Eine 1995 publizierte Studie untersuchte 904 M nner und 1014 Frauen (to verify, 86 men and 202 women). Waist Circumference (also known as stomach circumference) can be by itself an important parameter for determining the risk of secondary disease due to obesity. For women, the waist circumference should not be more than 88 cm. With as low as 80 This fact sheet tells you how to measure your BMIand waist circumference, and what these measures mean for your health. Body mass index BMI measures your weight in relation to your height, and is closelyassociated with measures of body fat. Waist circumference Excess weight, as measured by BMI, is not the only risk to your health. So is thelocation of fat on your body. If you carry fat mainly around your waist, you aremore likely to develop health problems than if you carry fatmainly in your hips and thighs. Another way to estimate your potential disease risk is to measure your waist circumference. Excessive abdominal fat may be serious because it places you at greater risk for developing obesity-related conditions, such as Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. Waist circumference can be used as a screening tool but is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual. A trained healthcare provider should perform appropriate health assessments in order to evaluate an individual's health status and risks. Circumference is the perimeter of, or the distance around a circle. So waist circumference is a measure of the distance around the abdomen. Waist circumference is one of the most practical tools to assess abdominal fat for chronic disease risk and during weight loss treatment. A high waist circumference or a greater level of abdominal fat is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease How to measure waist circumference: Place a tape measure around your body at the top of your hipbone. This is usually at the level of your belly button. By Healthwise Staff. Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD-Internal Medicine. Waist circumference (distance around the waist) is a common measure used to check for fat held around the stomach. Having extra body fat around the stomach-more than 35 in. (88 cm) for women and more than 40 in. (102 cm) for men-increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/calculating-your-waist-circumference__ http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/index.html http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Handouts/waist_circumference/waist_circumference.htm http://www.bmi3d.com/waistcircumference.html http://www.participants.niddklabs.org/docs/win/Weight%20and%20Waist%20Measurement_Tools%20for%20Adults.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/index.html http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Handouts/waist_circumference/waist_circumference.htm http://www.webmd.com/diet/waist-measurement
what does waist circumference measure