A study of central fatness using waist-to-height ratios in UK children and adolescents over two decades supports the simple message – ‘keep your waist circumference to less than half your height’

To examine the influence of age and gender on the waist:height ratio (WHTR) in children and to compare changes over time in WHTR, a measure of central fatness in British children.Representative cross-sectional surveys in 1977, 1987 and 1997.Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Survey 1: children aged 5-16 years measured in 1977 (boys) and 1987 (girls) (BSI, n=8135) and Survey 2: children aged 11-16 measured in 1997 (NDNS, n=773).From Survey 1,...