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The World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Consultation on Waist Circumference and Waist–Hip Ratio was held in Geneva, Switzerland on 8–11 December 2008. The consultation was organized by WHO’s Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, in collaboration with the Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. It was opened by Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. The consultation was convened as part of WHO's:

• efforts in implementing the recommendations made at the WHO Consultation on Appropriate Body Mass Index for Asian Populations (WHO, 2004);• response to the emerging problem of obesity and related chronic diseases, in particular in low-and middle-income countries.

The 1997 WHO Expert Consultation on Obesity recognized the importance of abdominal fat mass (referred to as abdominal, central or visceral obesity), which can vary considerably within a narrow range of total body fat and body mass index (BMI). It also highlighted the need for other indicators to complement the measurement of BMI, to identify individuals at increased risk of obesity-related morbidity due to accumulation of abdominal fat (WHO, 2000a). Waist–hip ratio (ie the waist circumference divided by the hip circumference) was suggested as an additional measure of body fat distribution. The ratio can be measured more precisely than skin folds, and it provides an index of both subcutaneous and intraabdominal adipose tissue (Bjorntorp, 1987). The suggestion for the use of proxy anthropometric indicators arose from a 12-year follow-up of middle-aged men, which …