Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Waist circumference measurement by site, posture, respiratory phase, and meal time: implications for methodology
Sunil K Agarwal1, Anoop Misra, Priyanka Aggarwal
1Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Abstract:
Waist circumference (WC) has been advocated as a simple, reliable, and cost-effective measure to understand an individual's cardio-metabolic risk. Although several protocols exist for measuring WC, the variation induced by a few factors has not been investigated. We compared several established and experimental WC measurement protocols to identify factors that may cause variations in WC measurement. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the variations in the measurement of waist circumference (WC) measures carried out in 11 ways differing by anatomical site, posture, respiratory phase, and time since last meal, using repeated measure analysis of variance (using mixed models) after Tukey-Kramer adjustment. We estimated the proportion of variance in percentage of body fat (%BF) and fat-free mass (FFM) explained by each of the WC measures. We studied 123 apparently healthy Asian Indians (75 females), with mean (s.d.) age of 34 (8.7) years and BMI of 23.9 (4.8) kg/m(2). Overall, the mean of WCs measured using the 11 protocols were statistically different. Further, post hoc analysis showed statistically significant, yet mostly small, differences between most of the pairs. No single WC measure explained highest variance in %BF or FFM for both genders. Although, the National Institute of Health (NIH), USA, protocol was convenient and may be less prone to errors, at present it does not control for many variables tested in this study. Measures of WC measured using different protocols were statistically different. We suggest that the site of measurement, posture, phase of respiration, and time since last meal should be standardized for the development of a protocol for measurement of WC for worldwide use.
Related Concept Videos
Assessment of Ventilation I: Respiratory Rate
A Ventilation assessment is critical for monitoring a patient's health status. Respiration, one of the most accessible vital signs, provides insights into the function of numerous body systems and can indicate serious health issues, such as brainstem injuries from head trauma.
Critical Guidelines for Assessing Ventilation:
Sites for measuring blood pressure
The Brachial Artery: Primary Site for Blood Pressure Measurement
Assessment of Airway, Skin Color, and Use of Accessory Muscles
Introduction
The initial evaluation of a patient's respiratory system...
Assessment of Ventilation II: Respiratory Depth and Rhythm
Respiratory depth measures the volume of air inhaled or exhaled during a breath. It can vary from shallow to deep and typically remains consistent when a person is at rest or asleep. Occasionally, individuals will automatically inhale deeply, known as sighing, which inflates the lungs with more air than normal breathing.
To assess respiratory depth, observe the degree of chest excursion or movement:
Temperature Measurement Sites
Oral: When assessing oral temperature, the thermometer tip should be placed under the tongue in the posterior sublingual pocket. It offers accurate readings and can be...

