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Article: Waist Circumference Is Simpler than Body Mass Index/Dr. Reaven responds
- Article from:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Article date:
- June 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Association for Clinical Chemistry Jun 2005. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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To the Editor:
In his review on the metabolic syndrome (1), Dr. G. Reaven suggests that the body mass index (BMI) measurement is "a simpler and more effective way" to quantify obesity and preferable to the measurement of waist circumference (WC).
BMI determination is not a simple process as it requires the measurement of both height and weight followed by either a calculation or the use of precalculated tables. On the other hand, the WC measure is done once, and the information is readily available. In addition, clinicians and health professionals are to encourage self-management and awareness of health, and it is easier for patients to understand and track WC than BMI. In fact, few ...