Measurement
of the ratio of waist to hip circumference provides useful information on fat distribution, which plays
an important role in obesity-related diseases, since an abdominal (apple-shaped) distribution of body
fat is associated with greater risks to health than a peripheral (pear-shaped) distribution. Thus, women
and men whose waist circumference is more than 88 cm and 102 cm, respectively, are more likely to become
ill as a result of obesity.
