Waist-to-hip ratio identifies central obesity; thresholds are which values?

• A. 0.8 for females and 0.95 for males
• B. 0.9 for females and 1.0 for males
• C. 0.75 for females and 0.85 for males
• D. 1.0 for females and 1.1 for males

Answer: (A)

Waist-to-hip ratio identifies central obesity by comparing how fat is distributed around the waist versus the hips; a higher ratio means more abdominal fat and higher cardiometabolic risk. The standard thresholds are 0.80 for women and 0.95 for men, reflecting sex differences in body shape—women typically have wider hips which lowers WHR, so a lower cutoff detects central obesity, while men tend to accumulate more abdominal fat and have relatively narrower hips, requiring a higher cutoff. Other values listed don’t align with common clinical cutoffs and could misclassify individuals. To measure, place a nonstretch tape at the waist (usually the narrowest point or just above the hip bone) and around the hips at the widest part, then divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement.