Anthropometric Indicators of Obesity and Percent Body Fat – A Measure for Weight Management

Obesity, along with other unhealthy living habits, nowadays represents one of the greatest risk factors for various diseases. This study was designed to define the most suitable anthropometric technique among body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR) and Body fat percent (BF) as indices of obesity in women living in Raipur City. The study was a cross-sectional design. A selected sample of 70 females aged 25-50 years participated in a detailed height and weight measurement were taken using standard methodology and body fat percent estimated by bio electrical impendence analysis (BIA). Data was analyzed using statistical package program. The most common methods for diagnosing overweight and obesity are based on BMI (kg/m2). However, BMI is suboptimal marker for total body fat percentage and even less suitable to assess body fat distribution. WHR is the most useful measure of obesity and the best simple anthropometric index in predicting a wide range of risk factors and related health conditions.