Waist–hip ratio
The waist-hip ratio or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is the dimensionless ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips.
This is calculated as waist measurement divided by hip measurement (W ÷ H). For example, a person with a 30″ () waist and 38″ () hips has a waist-hip ratio of about 0.78.
Waist–hip ratio
By western standards, women in foraging populations have high numbers of pregnancies, high parasite loads, and high caloric dependence on fibrous foods. These variables change across cultures, suggesting that
Thus, a WHR that indicates pubertal onset, sex, fertility, hormonal irregularities, and/or differentiates male from female in one population may not do so in another.