Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (1,014 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The waist circumference measurement divided by the hip circumference measurement. For both men and women, a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of 1.0 or higher is considered at risk for undesirable health consequences, such as heart disease and ailments associated with overweight. A healthy WHR is 0.90 or less for men, and 0.80 or less for women. (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2004)
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Ratios, Waist-Hip; Ratio, Waist-Hip; Waist Hip Ratio; Waist-Hip Ratios; Waist-to-Hip Ratio; Ratios, Waist-to-Hip; Ratio, Waist-to-Hip; Waist to Hip Ratio.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Body Weights and Measures
- See also
- Body Fat Distribution
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 5,116 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Waist-Hip Ratio” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 996 of them (19.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 2,337 records.
Reviews account for 264 records (5.2%) and meta-analyses for 143. Randomized controlled trials number 270 (5.3%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 0 |
| 2000-2009 | 1,861 |
| 2010-2019 | 2,337 |
| 2020 onward | 996 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 264 | 5.2% |
| Meta-analyses | 143 | 2.8% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 270 | 5.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Waist-Hip Ratio"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
Obesity index that better predict metabolic syndrome: body mass index, waist circumference, waist hip ratio, or waist height ratio [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- AimThe aim was to compare body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist hip ratio (WHR), and waist height ratio (WHtR) to identify the best predictor of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Qatari adult population.
- Closing excerpt
- 5 cm in men and 91 cm in women was the best predictor of MetS in Qatar.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (194 words)
AimThe aim was to compare body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist hip ratio (WHR), and waist height ratio (WHtR) to identify the best predictor of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Qatari adult population.MethodsA cross-sectional survey from April 2011 to December 2012. Data was collected from 1552 participants followed by blood sampling. MetS was defined according to Third Adult Treatment Panel (ATPIII) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed.ResultsAmong men, WC followed by WHR and WHtR yielded the highest area under the curve (AUC) (0.78; 95% CI 0.74-0.82 and 0.75; 95% CI 0.71-0.79, resp.). Among women, WC followed by WHtR yielded the highest AUC (0.81; 95% CI 0.78-0.85 & 0.79; 95% CI 0.76-0.83, resp.). Among men, WC at a cut-off 99.5 cm resulted in the highest Youden index with sensitivity 81.6% and 63.9% specificity. Among women, WC at a cut-off 91 cm resulted in the highest Youden index with the corresponding sensitivity and specificity of 86.5% and 64.7%, respectively. BMI had the lowest sensitivity and specificity in both genders.ConclusionWC at cut-off 99.5 cm in men and 91 cm in women was the best predictor of MetS in Qatar.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 24000310 · DOI · PMC3755383
Strong Association of Waist Circumference (WC), Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) with Diabetes: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Jilin Province, China [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundsThe prevalence of diabetes has increased with the increase of obesity, and finding indicators to predict diabetes risk has become an urgent need.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsThe WC and WHtR were more closely related to diabetes than BMI and WHR among study participants ≥ 40 years of age, especially in females.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (225 words)
BackgroundsThe prevalence of diabetes has increased with the increase of obesity, and finding indicators to predict diabetes risk has become an urgent need. The purpose of this study is to compare the correlation between four anthropometric indices and the prevalence of diabetes.MethodsA total of 4052 participants aged 40 years and above were selected in Dehui City, Jilin Province, using a multistage stratified whole group sampling method. Face-to-face interviews and physical examinations were conducted. Multivariate logistic analysis was used. The values of BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were divided into quartiles (Q1: ResultsFor all four body fat-measuring indices of body mass index (adjusted OR: 3.300, 95% CI: 2.370, 4.595), WC (adjusted OR: 5.131, 95% CI: 3.433, 7.669), WHR (adjusted OR: 3.327, 95% CI: 2.386, 4.638), and WHtR (adjusted OR: 5.959, 95% CI: 3.922, 9.054), patients in the highest quartile were more likely to have diabetes than those in the lowest quartile. The areas under the curve of WHtR, WC, WHR, and BMI for diabetes were 0.683, 0.669, 0.654, and 0.629, respectively. In female participants, the areas under the curve of the waist-height ratio and WC were 0.710 (95% CI: 0.679-0.741) and 0.701 (95% CI: 0.670-0.732), respectively.ConclusionsThe WC and WHtR were more closely related to diabetes than BMI and WHR among study participants ≥ 40 years of age, especially in females.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34056007 · DOI · PMC8147550
Waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio reference percentiles for abdominal obesity among Greek adolescents [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundIndices predictive of adolescent central obesity include waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR).
- Closing excerpt
- 5 could also be used as a threshold for obesity in this age group.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (346 words)
BackgroundIndices predictive of adolescent central obesity include waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Such reference data are lacking for Greek adolescents. The aim of this study was to develop age- and gender-specific WC, WHR and WHtR smoothed reference percentiles for abdominal obesity among Greek adolescents aged 12-17 years, to investigate possible obesity cut-offs of WHR and WHtR and to compare WC percentiles to other adolescent populations.MethodsA representative sample of 1610 high school adolescents (42.2% boys, 57.8% girls; mean age ± sd 14.4 ± 1.72 years) participated in this cross-sectional study in Attica, Greece, in 2013. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), WC, hip circumference (HC), WHR and WHtR were measured and percentiles were calculated using the LMS method. The relation between WHR, WHtR and general obesity, as defined by the International Obesity Task Force, was investigated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The discriminating power of WHR and WHtR was expressed as area under the curve (AUC). Greek adolescents' WC measurements at the 50th and 90th percentile were compared with their counterparts' smoothed percentiles from Norway, Turkey, Poland, South India, Germany and Kuwait.ResultsBoys had significantly higher mean in all measures than girls, except for BMI where there was no statistical difference in terms of gender. BMI, WC and HC showed an increasing trend with age. WC leveled off in both genders at the age of 17 years. WHR and WHtR showed a continuous decrease with advancing age. WHtR was a better predictor for general obesity in both boys and girls (AUC 95% CI 0.945-0.992) than the WHR (AUC 95% CI 0.758-0.870); the WHtR cut-off of 0.5 had sensitivity 91% and specificity 95% for both genders and all age groups combined. International comparisons showed that Greek adolescents had relatively high levels of abdominal obesity in early-middle adolescence but this did not persist at the age of 17 years.ConclusionsThese reference percentile curves could be used provisionally for early detection of abdominal obesity in Greek adolescents aged 12-17 years; WHtR of 0.5 could also be used as a threshold for obesity in this age group.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 25935716 · DOI · PMC4446827
Perceived Waist-to-Hip Ratio Predicts Attractiveness, Age, and Parity Judgments in Pre-Contemporary European Portraits of Clothed Women [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Women with a lower waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are consistently judged as more attractive, a finding replicated across diverse populations and methods.
- Closing excerpt
- They further suggest that fashion styles that exaggerate WHR may have functioned as strategic amplifiers of reproductively relevant cues, with implications for theories of mate choice, social signaling, fashion history, and cultural evolution.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (249 words)
Women with a lower waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are consistently judged as more attractive, a finding replicated across diverse populations and methods. From an evolutionary perspective, this preference may reflect selection for cues of female reproductive potential, as WHR reliably tracks both age and parity. However, virtually all previous studies present nude or minimally clothed bodies in highly standardized conditions, leaving open whether WHR-based judgments generalize to more ecologically valid settings and whether they extend beyond attractiveness to the reproductive traits WHR is a cue of. We addressed both questions by analyzing 608 painted female figures from European portraits (1650-1950), depicting fully clothed women in visually complex and minimally sexualized settings. Online Prolific observers (N = 1,525) independently estimated the body shape, attractiveness, age, and likelihood of previous childbirth from either the body or the face of the painted characters. Perceived WHR strongly predicted all three trait judgments: lower WHR was associated with higher attractiveness, younger perceived age, and lower perceived likelihood of previous childbirth. These relationships persisted after controlling for posture, body orientation, perceived weight, perceived facial age, artistic school, and date of the artwork. Our findings show that WHR-based perceptual heuristics are not artefacts of the narrow stimulus conditions used in prior research but persist in visually complex, clothed, and historically diverse depictions of women. They further suggest that fashion styles that exaggerate WHR may have functioned as strategic amplifiers of reproductively relevant cues, with implications for theories of mate choice, social signaling, fashion history, and cultural evolution.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42380385 · DOI · PMC13427934
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio as predictors of cardiovascular events: meta-regression analysis of prospective studies [5]
- Research article Comparison of body mass index, waist circumference, and waist/hip ratio in predicting incident diabetes: a meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Body mass index, waist circumference and waist:hip ratio as predictors of cardiovascular risk--a review of the literature [7]
- Research article Waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk: a consensus statement from Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention; NAASO, The Obesity Society; the American Society for Nutrition; and the American Diabetes Association [8]
- Research article Obesity and cancer [9]
- Research article Anthropometric factors and endometrial cancer risk: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies [10]
References
- Bener A, Yousafzai MT, Darwish S, Al-Hamaq AO, Nasralla EA, Abdul-Ghani M. Obesity index that better predict metabolic syndrome: body mass index, waist circumference, waist hip ratio, or waist height ratio. . 2013. PMID 24000310 · DOI · PMC3755383
- Zhang FL, Ren JX, Zhang P, Jin H, Qu Y, Yu Y, et al.. Strong Association of Waist Circumference (WC), Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) with Diabetes: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Jilin Province, China. . 2021. PMID 34056007 · DOI · PMC8147550
- Bacopoulou F, Efthymiou V, Landis G, Rentoumis A, Chrousos GP. Waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio reference percentiles for abdominal obesity among Greek adolescents. . 2015. PMID 25935716 · DOI · PMC4446827
- Bovet J, Truchard V, Touzeau C, Chevallier C, Baumard N. Perceived Waist-to-Hip Ratio Predicts Attractiveness, Age, and Parity Judgments in Pre-Contemporary European Portraits of Clothed Women. . 2026. PMID 42380385 · DOI · PMC13427934
- de Koning L, Merchant AT, Pogue J, Anand SS. Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio as predictors of cardiovascular events: meta-regression analysis of prospective studies. Eur Heart J. 2007. PMID 17403720 · DOI
- Vazquez G, Duval S, Jacobs DR, Silventoinen K. Comparison of body mass index, waist circumference, and waist/hip ratio in predicting incident diabetes: a meta-analysis. Epidemiol Rev. 2007. PMID 17494056 · DOI
- Huxley R, Mendis S, Zheleznyakov E, Reddy S, Chan J. Body mass index, waist circumference and waist:hip ratio as predictors of cardiovascular risk--a review of the literature. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010. PMID 19654593 · DOI
- Klein S, Allison DB, Heymsfield SB, Kelley DE, Leibel RL, Nonas C, et al.. Waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk: a consensus statement from Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention; NAASO, The Obesity Society; the American Society for Nutrition; and the American Diabetes Association. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007. PMID 17490953 · DOI
- Pischon T, Nöthlings U, Boeing H. Obesity and cancer. Proc Nutr Soc. 2008. PMID 18412987 · DOI
- Aune D, Navarro Rosenblatt DA, Chan DS, Vingeliene S, Abar L, Vieira AR, et al.. Anthropometric factors and endometrial cancer risk: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Ann Oncol. 2015. PMID 25791635 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
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- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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