A prospective cohort study involving 139,213 U.S. postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 demonstrated that integrating waist circumference (WC) measurements with body mass index (BMI) enhances long-term mortality risk prediction. Conducted as part of the Women's Health Initiative and spanning up to 24 years, the research revealed that women with large WC had a higher mortality risk, regardless of BMI category. The findings advocate for routine WC measurements in clinical practice, particularly among obese women, to improve obesity-related mortality risk assessment.

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine