The waist to hip ratio is an expression of the relationship between the circumference of someone's waist and the circumference of the hips. It is produced by dividing the measurement of the waist by the measurement of the hips. Numerous studies on this ratio have been conducted to determine whether or not it can be used as an accurate measurement of someone's general health, and also to research the influence of it on standard of attractiveness.
What has been discovered about the waist to hip ratio is that women with a ratio of around 0.7 and men with a ratio of around 0.9 tend to be more fertile, and also generally healthier. Researchers have also found that these ratios tend to crop up again and again in perceptions of beauty. Women at a wide range of weights and sizes are consistently viewed as attractive when they have a waist to hip ratio of 0.7, for example, regardless of their cultural origins.
In addition to being a potential measure of attractiveness, the ratio may also have some bearing on health. Research has shown that people who carry more weight up top tend to be prone to health risks, especially cardiovascular disease. People with this type of figure are sometimes said to be "apples," in contrast to "pears," figures with more weight on the hips. Pear shapes tend to be healthier in general than apples, regardless of their weight.
Some people feel that the waist to hip ratio should be used in an assessment of general health, and that it may be a better predictor than the body mass index, as the ratio looks at how weight is distributed on the body. Certainly people with apple figures have more cause for concern, and their doctors may recommend various measures to prevent the onset of potentially dangerous conditions later in life.
In addition to being a potential measure of health and a sign of beauty, the ration between the waist and hips may also play a role in intelligence. Infants born to women with a low waist to hip ratio, indicating a pear shape, seem to develop into more intelligent children. Although measurements of intelligence are often flawed and difficult to compare, some medical professionals have suggested that this evidence indicates that the fetal brain develops more fully in women who carry their weight on their hips, perhaps because the stored fat has useful compounds that stimulate brain development.