How to Calculate Your Waist-to-Hip Ratio

People who tend to accumulate fat around their midsection are more likely to develop conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes than those who gain weight around their hips and thighs. Follow these simple steps to find out whether you are at risk for weight-related health conditions.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Calculators
• Measuring Tapes
• Pencils
• Notebook Papers
• Pencils
• Pencils
• Calculators

1. Stand with your stomach relaxed.

2. Find the narrowest point at your waist and measure. Write down the measurement.

3. Find the widest point of your hips and buttocks and measure. Write down this measurement.

4. Divide the calculation from step 2 by the calculation from step 3. This is your waist-to-hip ratio.

Tips & Warnings

• For weight to be considered healthy, women should have a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 0.8. A healthy waist-to-hip ratio for men is less than 0.9. If you have a ratio that is higher than that, you may have an increased risk for weight-related health conditions.
• Improving your exercise habits and diet can help keep this ratio down - and can decrease your risk of weight-related diseases.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• How to Lose 30+lbs Guaranteed. Try it Free.

on 8/8/2006 My husband has a huge belly. He argues with me that he doesn't have a health risk because you tell him to measure the narrowest part of his waist. So he puts the tape measure underneath the belly where his jeans waistband hits. No good, but you're the authority he quotes.

If the belly protrudes, the waist is no longer the "narrowest part."

on 4/12/2008 Other sites ask you to enter the numbers and calculate it for you. Other sites are better.