title: Self-Measured vs Professionally Measured Waist Circumference.
abstract: Although waist circumference can provide important metabolic risk information, logistic issues inhibit its routine use in outpatient practice settings. We assessed whether self-measured waist circumference is sufficiently accurate to replace professionally measured waist circumference for identifying high-risk patients.
  
  
  
  Medical outpatients and research participants self-measured their waist circumference at the same visit during which a professionally measured waist circumference was obtained. Participants were provided with standardized pictorial instructions on how to measure their waist circumference, and professionals underwent standard training.
  
  
  
  Self- and professionally measured waist circumference data were collected for 585 women (mean ± SD age = 40 ± 14 years, mean ± SD body mass index = 27.7 ± 6.0 kg/m(2)) and 165 men (mean ± SD age = 41 ± 14 years, mean ± SD body mass index = 29.3 ± 4.6 kg/m(2)). Although self- and professionally measured waist circumference did not differ significantly, we found a clinically important false-negative rate for the self-measurements. Eleven percent of normal-weight and 52% of overweight women had a professionally measured waist circumference putting them in a high-risk category for metabolic syndrome (ie, greater than 88 cm); however, 57% and 18% of these women, respectively, undermeasured their waist circumference as falling below that cutoff. Fifteen percent and 84% of overweight and class I obese men, respectively, had a professionally measured waist circumference putting them in the high-risk category (ie, greater than 102 cm); however, 23% and 16% of these men, respectively, undermeasured their waist circumference as falling below that cutoff.
  
  
  
  Despite standardized pictorial instructions for self-measured waist circumference, the false-negative rate of self-measurements approached or exceeded 20% for some groups at high risk for poor health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Barbara G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Carranza Leon
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota jensen.teresa@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Teresa B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Jensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis; D011361:Professional Competence; D016353:Self-Examination; D055105:Waist Circumference
keywords: anthropometrics; metabolic syndrome; obesity; practice-based research; primary care; risk assessment; waist circumference