Your BMI is a great starting point but you should also measure your waist. This is because people who carry too much weight around their middle have a greater risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
How to measure your waist
Use the tape measure in your Heart Matters Welcome Pack and follow the steps below:
- Find the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your ribs.
- Breathe out naturally.
- Place the tape measure midway between these points and wrap it around your waist.
- Check your measurement.
Why are there separate measurements for Asian men and women?
People of Asian backgrounds tend to have a higher proportion of body fat to muscle than the rest of the UK population. They also tend to carry this fat around the middle. This leads to a greater risk of developing problems such as diabetes and coronary heart disease at a lower waist size than other people in the UK.
To get a free ‘heart risk’ tape measure
simply
join Heart Matters now.
| Your health is at risk if you have a waist size of: |
Your health is at high risk if you have a waist size of: |
||
| Men | Over 94cm (about 37 inches) | Over 102cm (about 40 inches) | |
| Women | Over 80cm (about 31.5 inches) | Over 88cm (about 34.5 inches) | |
| Asian men | Over 90cm (about 35.5 inches) | ||
| Asian women | Over 80cm (about 31.5 inches) |
