Waist circumference - risk of developing a chronic disease
Please note that these indicators are not currently up to date and will be replaced shortly with dashboards. In the meantime the most currently available data is available at https://www.data.act.gov.au or contact healthinfo@act.gov.au
Commentary
- Where fat is located on your body is an important measure of your risk of developing ongoing health problems. Carrying excess body fat around your middle is more of a health risk than if it were on your hips and thighs, regardless of your height or build. For most adults, a waist measurement of more than 94 cm for men and 80 cm for women is an indicator of an increased level of internal fat deposits that coat the heart, kidneys, liver, digestive organs and pancreas. This can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Measuring your waist is a simple way check your risk of developing chronic disease.
Increased risk: A waist circumference of 94 cm or more for males or 80 cm or more for women.
Substantially increased risk: A waist circumference of 102 cm or more for men or 88 cm or more for women
- Based on waist circumference, more than half of all ACT males and two-thirds of all ACT females aged 18 years and over were at an increased or substantially increased risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Chart
Risk of developing chronic disease based on waist circumference in ACT adults aged 18 years and over, 2017-18
Data
To access the data, select "View source data" link at the bottom of the visualisation. This link will open up a data table that you can download.
Codes and sources
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016. National Health Survey 2014-15: First Results. Category Number 4264.0.55.001. ABS, Canberra