The waist-to-height ratio is the best simple indicator of cardiovascular risk and mortality, followed by waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.¹

For health promotion, you want to keep your waist-to-height ratio below 0.5. This translates to the simple rule “Keep your waist circumference less than half your height”.

For more information on the Waist-to-Height ratio, see “Waist-to-height ratio as screening tool for testosterone deficiency and health risk”.

Select Measurement Unit:* cm inches

Enter Waist Measurement:* Measure waist at the navel.

Enter Height:*

Calculate

Waist-to-Height ratio

Waist to Hip Ratio should be 0.95 or less.

How to interpret your waist-to-height ratio value:

below 0.4 = you may be too thin

0.45 = you are a healthy pear

0.5 to 0.6 = you are a pear-apple *

above 0.61 = you are an unhealthy apple *



* If your waist-to-height ratio is over 0.5 we suggest you check yourself with the Aging Males’ Symptoms (AMS) scale. The AMS questionnaire asks about symptoms that may be indicative of testosterone deficiency. A high AMS score combined with a waist-to-height ratio above 0.5 is strongly suggestive of testosterone deficiency.

In the Ashwell Shape Chart® below you can easily see graphically – based on your waist and height measure – in which zone you are, and see how much you need to reduce your waist to move into a healthier zone.

References

¹ Schneider HJ, Glaesmer H, Klotsche J, et al. Accuracy of anthropometric indicators of obesity to predict cardiovascular risk. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2007;92(2):589-594.

² Allan CA, Peverill RE, Strauss BJ, Forbes EA, McLachlan RI. Waist-to-height ratio as a predictor of serum testosterone in ageing men with symptoms of androgen deficiency. Asian journal of andrology. 2011;13(3):424-431.

³ Svartberg J, von Muhlen D, Sundsfjord J, Jorde R. Waist circumference and testosterone levels in community dwelling men. The Tromso study. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 2004;19(7):657-663.

⁴ Ashwell M, Mayhew L, Richardson J, Rickayzen B. Waist-to-height ratio is more predictive of years of life lost than body mass index. PloS one. 2014;9(9):e103483.