A tool to support the clinical decisions of doctors and health professionals, not for self-diagnosis or self-treatment.
This calculator is inside the patient's file in Clinicato: open it from "Medical tools" while you chart the visit, it fills in from the patient's details and vital signs where they are recorded, and adds its result to the visit's plan in one tap, with the "Medical tools" add-on. Try it in your clinic
Calculator
How it works and when to use it
The ratio = waist ÷ height in the same unit, and the simple rule is to keep your waist under half your height.
By NICE (2022 update) for adults: 0.4 to 0.49 healthy, 0.5 to 0.59 increased health risk, 0.6 or more high risk.
Reference: NICE guideline CG189, Obesity: identification, assessment and management (2022 update): waist-to-height ratio 0.5-0.59 increased, 0.6 or more high health risk (adults)
Frequently asked questions
Why measure the waist as well as BMI?
Belly fat is linked to diabetes and heart disease more than weight alone, and can be high with a normal BMI.
Where is the waist measured?
Midway between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, after a normal breath out.
Tools you may also need
- BMR calculator Basal metabolic rate and daily calories by activity.
- Waist-to-hip ratio calculator Waist-to-hip ratio and the waist assessment.
- Weight loss percentage calculator The percentage change in weight and its weekly average.
- Pregnancy weight gain calculator The recommended total gain, its weekly rate, and the gain so far.
- Corrected age calculator Chronological and corrected age, or postmenstrual age before the due date.
- Child BMI calculator A child's BMI and how it is read on growth charts.
Clinic software for this specialty
Try Clinicato for your clinic
These calculators are free here for everyone, and in Clinicato 49 medical tools work inside the patient's file with the "Medical tools" add-on: filled from the visit and the vital signs, with the result added to the visit's plan, next to appointments, prescriptions and invoices.