Key Finding: Waist Circumference Outperforms BMI in Predicting Disability Risk, Whitehall II Cohort Study Shows

Last updated: 19/08/2026 21:29

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A new analysis of the Whitehall II cohort study shows that waist circumference is a stronger predictor of functional disability in older adults than BMI. The 11-year follow-up of 4,593 UK civil servants found that simple clinical measures—waist circumference, walking speed, and chair rise time—outperformed standard anthropometric screening. — Photo by B Y G on Unsplash (Unsplash License)

Waist circumference: top predictor of 10-year disability (AUROC 0.68). BMI: 0.54. The Whitehall II cohort shows what clinicians have been missing in routine exams.

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GMJ Brief · Key Finding

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ByProf. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD

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MD, MPH, PhD. Editor-in-Chief, Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ). Professor and Head, School of Public Health, David Tvildiani Medical University (DTMU), Tbilisi, Georgia. Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG). President, Accréditation Sans Frontières (ASF), Paris. Secretary/Treasurer, UEMS Section of Public Health. WHO Consultant, Health and Migration, Geneva. Former Member, UN Secretary-General's Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent (IAP-EWEC, 2016–2021). ORCID: 0000-0001-7609-4515.