University of Leicester study shows underestimating your waist measurement could be a potential health risk such as diabetes.
Vain British men perceive themselves to be more than three inches slimmer than they really are and are ignoring a warning sign of a potential chronic condition – diabetes.
In a study* being presented next week to leading health charity Diabetes UK’s Annual Professional Conference (APC) in Glasgow, attended by over 3,000 healthcare professionals, more than 500 people were asked to estimate their waist size. Most under-estimated by an average of 2.7 inches.
Men were the most deluded and underestimated their waist size by a significant 3.1 inches (7.9 cm), whilst the estimates of South Asian women were generally the most accurate.
Having a large waist is one of the main risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes, a serious condition that can lead to devastating complications such as blindness, heart disease, stroke, amputation and kidney disease. 80 per cent of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are overweight at the time of diagnosis. It is also estimated that up to 750,000 people in the UK have Type 2 diabetes but do not know it. Diabetes UK is encouraging people to measure their waist as a way of seeing if they could be at risk of developing the condition.
The study, conducted by researchers from Leicester University, looked at 502 men and women from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Women in general got their waist measurements wrong by 2.2 inches (5.5cm). People from white European backgrounds were worse than people from South Asian backgrounds when estimating measurements, with an average 2.9inches (7.4cm) error compared to 1.6 inches (4.1cm) for South Asians.
Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of leading health charity Diabetes UK, said, “Measuring up is a reality check, the first step to recognising that you may not be as well as you feel. To believe that you are more than three inches slimmer than you are is to ignore a clear warning of a risk of diabetes. It can take years for symptoms of diabetes to emerge so simple indicators like waist size are important signals. There are up to 750,000 people in this country who have diabetes but are not yet diagnosed.”
Study presenter, Dr Nick Taub said, “If people underestimate their waist size to such an extent it means that they may be less likely to see themselves at possible risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The differences in perception relating to gender and ethnicity, also lead us to conclude that we may need to find more targeted ways to reach those who are less aware of weight issues.”
Professor Khunti who led the study said, “People can remain undiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for up to 12 years so screening is vital to ensure appropriate diabetes care and treatment. The Government recently announced its intention to set up a screening programme to spot the early signs of heart problems, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. People at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes should be targeted with systematic screening which would go a long way towards reducing the costly diabetes-related complications. One method of screening includes patient self-assessment of their waist circumference. This research shows that people need to be educated about the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes associated large waist circumference and about accurately assessing their waist circumference.”
Diabetes UK advises that women with a waist measurement of 31.5 inches (80cm) or more could be at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. White men and black men could be at risk if their waist is 37 inches (94cm) or more, or 35 inches (90cm) or more for South Asian men. As well as having a large waist, people are more likely to get Type 2 diabetes if they are over the age of 40, of Black or South Asian origin, or have a family history of Type 2 diabetes.
Source: By University Of Leicester
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