The UK has one of the worst obesity rates in Europe, with two in three adults officially overweight or obese in an escalating crisis that now costs the NHS 6 6 billion a year and society at large 27 27 billion £. The most widely used method to check if a person has a healthy weight is the body mass index (BMI), which for most people can accurately measure if they have a healthy weight for their height. A BMI of 18 to 25 is considered a healthy weight, 25 to 30 is overweight and over 30 is obese. However, amid growing concerns about the impact of obesity on population health in England and Wales, for the first time, the National Institutes of Health and Care (Nice) will say on Friday that adults with a BMI under 35 will you also need to measure your waist to height ratio to stay healthy. Using the ratio along with BMI, people can tell if they are carrying too much fat around their waist, which is known to increase the risk of serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Anyone who wants to know the waist-to-height ratio can use an electronic calculator or ask a health professional to edit it. To measure their waist, they should find their lower ribs and upper hips, wrap a tape measure around their waist between these points, and breathe naturally before taking the measurement. For example, a woman 163 cm (5 feet 4 inches) with a waist circumference of 74 cm (29 inches) would have a healthy proportion, but 81 cm would push her to the unhealthy range. A man who is 178 cm tall (5 feet 10 inches) would be at increased risk for his health if he had a waist of 91 cm (36 inches). The directive states that the ratio of healthy waist to height is 0.4 to 0.49, indicating that there are no increased health risks. A ratio of 0.5 to 0.59 puts people at increased risk of health problems, while 0.6 or more puts them at higher risk of health problems. Waist to height ratio table Dr Paul Chrisp, director of the Nice Guidance Center, said: “The updated draft guideline offers people a simple and effective way to measure their weight so they can understand the factors that could affect their health. and take action to address them. . “Our committee found that a clear benefit of using the waist-to-height ratio is that people can easily measure it on their own, interpret the results and seek medical advice if they are at increased risk for their health.” The guidance also sets out ways to assess childhood obesity and says that tailor-made plans for children with a high BMI or waist-to-height ratio above 0.5 should be considered. Guideline member Rachel Batterham, counselor on obesity, diabetes and endocrinology, said: “Increased belly fat increases a person’s risk of developing a variety of life-threatening diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. “The waist-to-height ratio is a simple, easy-to-use measure that identifies people who are at increased risk for health and will benefit from weight management support to improve their health.”
