Waist Circumference as a Vital Sign in Clinical Practice

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

This consensus statement sets forth recommendations for practitioners to routinely include waist circumference measurement in addition to BMI in overweight or obese patient cardiometabolic risk evaluation. The authors recommend that waist circumference reduction should be targeted to reduce adverse health risks in patients regardless of gender, and they identified knowledge gaps including waist circumference threshold values for a given BMI category.

The authors found evidence that dietary changes and regular moderately intense exercise can help individuals reduce their waist circumference and decrease adverse health risks.