Although body mass index (BMI) is widely used as a simple tool to assess obesity, it has certain limitations and inaccuracies. It is known that visceral adipose tissue is closely related to cardiometabolic risks and all-cause mortality; however, precise measurement methods for visceral fat (magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography) cannot be widely used. Thus, simple but accurate alternatives are valuable. Studies have shown that waist circumference-to-height ratio (WHtR) might be a superior and more accurate variable in assessing central or visceral adiposity as well as predicting risks of diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases. Furthermore, WHtR cutoff values can be consistent across different races, age, and genders, making it a universal metric worth promoting and applying.
尽管体重指数(body mass index，BMI)作为评估肥胖的简便工具被广泛应用，但其也存在一些缺点和不准确之处。据研究报道，内脏脂肪含量与心血管代谢性疾病风险和全因死亡率的关系更为密切；然而，精准测量内脏脂肪含量的方法(磁共振成像和计算机断层扫描)却无法得到广泛应用。因此，寻找测量内脏脂肪含量的简便替代方法很有必要。研究表明，腰围身高比(waist circumference-to-height ratio，WHtR)可能是评估中心型或内脏脂肪型肥胖以及预测糖尿病和其他心血管代谢性疾病发生风险的一个更准确、更简便的指标。此外，不同种族、年龄和性别群体的WHtR临界值可以相同。因此，WHtR值得推广和应用。.
Keywords: body mass index; cardiometabolic diseases; central adiposity; diabetes; waist circumference-to-height ratio.