Your values.
A little more context.
Reference ranges describe populations and measurement methods. They help explain a number; they do not define your health or replace your own progress record.
Waist-to-height: how much of your height is your waist?
A ratio of 0.500 means your waist is half your height. NICE uses waist-to-height bands to describe central adiposity, or fat around the abdomen, in adults with BMI below 35. We use plain-language labels in the app.
| Category | Ratio |
|---|---|
| Low ratio | Below 0.400 |
| Healthy waist range | 0.400 to <0.500 |
| Increased waist range | 0.500 to <0.600 |
| High waist range | 0.600 or above |
“Healthy,” “increased,” and “high” correspond to the NICE central-adiposity categories. Below 0.400 is shown as “Low ratio” to make the chart complete; NICE does not give it an underweight category. Scan values provide numerical context rather than a clinical risk assessment.
NICE. Overweight and obesity management, NG246, recommendations 1.9.5-1.9.15. ↗
Body fat: all four research bands
Body-fat percentage is the share of your weight that is fat. We label the age-and-sex bands from Gallagher and colleagues’ Table 4 as Low, Reference range, Elevated, and High. The three dividing points correspond to the study’s BMI cutoffs of 18.5, 25, and 30. These are provisional research comparisons, not fitness levels or diagnoses.
| Study sex / age | Low | Reference range | Elevated | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female · 20-39 | Below 21% | 21 to <33% | 33 to <39% | 39% or above |
| Female · 40-59 | Below 23% | 23 to <34% | 34 to <40% | 40% or above |
| Female · 60-79 | Below 24% | 24 to <36% | 36 to <42% | 42% or above |
| Male · 20-39 | Below 8% | 8 to <20% | 20 to <25% | 25% or above |
| Male · 40-59 | Below 11% | 11 to <22% | 22 to <28% | 28% or above |
| Male · 60-79 | Below 13% | 13 to <25% | 25 to <30% | 30% or above |
The table combines four-compartment predictions for African American and white study participants. Later research by Heo and colleagues found different values across age and population groups. These bands are not validated scan cutoffs or universal health targets, and are not extrapolated outside ages 20-79.
Gallagher et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72:694-701. Table 4. doi:10.1093/ajcn/72.3.694. ↗
Heo et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95:594-602. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.025171. ↗
Waist and composition: your own baseline
Waist measurements depend on the capture method, landmarks, and stance. We do not assign universal normal ranges or a health score to these values. Compare consistent scans over time instead. Fat mass and lean mass also have no single appropriate target for every person.
You can turn off population reference context in your profile. General adiposity references may not apply during pregnancy or in other individual circumstances. Existing records keep their original age and preference context; editing a profile does not reinterpret previous scans.
How to make measurements consistent →