Public health and health care: This metadata item is used as an indicator of risk of metabolic complications associated with overweight and obesity including dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance and hypertension. On a population basis there is a strong association between abdominal obesity and health risk. Body fat distribution has emerged as an important predictor of obesity-related morbidity and mortality. Abdominal obesity, which is more common in men than women, has, in epidemiological studies, been closely associated with conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure. Waist circumference as an indicator of risk can be used: - to indicate the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its sociodemographic distribution (problem identification);
- to evaluate health promotion and disease prevention programs (assessment of interventions);
- to monitor progress towards national public health policy;
- to ascertain determinants and consequences of abdominal obesity; and
- in nutrition and physical activity surveillance and long-term planning.
Waist circumference is a convenient and simple measurement that is unrelated to height, correlates closely with body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and is an approximate index of intra-abdominal fat mass and total body fat. Changes in waist circumference can reflect changes in risk factors for cardiovascular disease and other forms of chronic disease, even though the risks seem to vary in different populations. | 
