Health Survey for England - The Health of Minority Ethnic Groups '99

Table 6.13

Waist-hip ratio (WHR), by equivalised household income tertile within
minority ethnic group

Aged 16 and over with both valid waist and hip measurements
1999

WHR

Equivalised household income tertile

Men

Women

Lowest Middle Highest Lowest Middle Highest

Observed

Black Caribbean

Mean 0.87 0.90 0.87 0.82 0.84 0.81

Standard error of the mean 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01

% high WHR^a 17.1 27.7 12.7 30.8 42.6 27.0

Indian

Mean 0.91 0.92 0.92 0.83 0.82 0.79

Standard error of the mean 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01

% high WHR^a 37.6 40.2 33.2 35.3 32.0 15.7

Pakistani

Mean 0.90 0.91 0.91 0.82 0.83 0.80

Standard error of the mean 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01

% high WHR^a 29.2 31.8 21.8 32.7 37.2 27.8

Bangladeshi

Mean 0.90 0.92 c 0.84 0.83 c

Standard error of the mean 0.01 0.01 c 0.01 0.01 c

% high WHR^a 28.4 25.5 c 46.8 40.0 c

Chinese

Mean [0.89] 0.89 0.88 [0.84] 0.81 0.80

Standard error of the mean [0.02] 0.01 0.01 [0.01] 0.01 0.01

% high WHR^a [32.7] 17.4 13.3 [42.9] 17.8 19.2

Irish

Mean c 0.91 0.92 0.83 0.83 0.79

Standard error of the mean c 0.01 0.00 0.02 0.01 0.00

% high WHR^a c 29.3 33.0 33.3 32.7 18.5

General population (1998)^b

Mean 0.91 0.92 0.90 0.81 0.81 0.78

Standard error of the mean 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

% high WHR^a 31.2 36.3 23.4 23.8 26.3 13.9

Standardised

High WHR^a (risk ratio)

Black Caribbean 0.71 0.56 0.57 1.91 2.22 1.74

Standard error of the ratio 0.25 0.09 0.11 0.26 0.23 0.21

Indian 1.63 1.52 1.49 2.09 2.05 1.14

Standard error of the ratio 0.23 0.17 0.14 0.33 0.24 0.18

Pakistani 1.50 1.45 1.25 2.60 2.80 2.10

Standard error of the ratio 0.17 0.17 0.22 0.28 0.31 0.38

Bangladeshi 1.19 1.16 c 3.72 3.05 c

Standard error of the ratio 0.14 0.26 c 0.23 0.37 c

Chinese [0.83] 0.63 0.61 [2.67] 1.15 1.40

Standard error of the ratio [0.20] 0.21 0.20 [0.40] 0.25 0.34

Irish c 1.00 1.32 2.06 1.53 1.14

Standard error of the ratio c 0.19 0.13 0.35 0.19 0.15

General population (1998) 1.24 1.09 0.90 1.37 1.21 0.79

Standard error of the ratio 0.09 0.05 0.04 0.10 0.06 0.04

Mean WHR: ratio of means

Black Caribbean 0.97 0.97 0.97 1.04 1.04 1.03

Standard error of the ratio 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01

Indian 1.02 1.02 1.03 1.05 1.04 1.01

Standard error of the ratio 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01

Pakistani 1.02 1.02 1.02 1.07 1.08 1.03

Standard error of the ratio 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01

Bangladeshi 1.00 1.02 c 1.10 1.07 c

Standard error of the ratio 0.01 0.01 c 0.01 0.01 c

Chinese [0.97] 0.98 0.97 [1.06] 1.02 1.02

Standard error of the ratio [0.01] 0.01 0.01 [0.01] 0.01 0.01

Irish c 1.00 1.02 1.05 1.03 1.00

Standard error of the ratio c 0.01 0.00 0.02 0.01 0.01

General population (1998) 1.01 1.00 1.00 1.02 1.01 0.99

Standard error of the ratio 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Bases (weighted):

Black Caribbean 46 76 97 78 91 131

Indian 62 131 146 69 128 135

Pakistani 66 66 44 76 61 35

Bangladeshi 37 14 5 37 13 3

Chinese 8 16 24 14 19 27

Irish 59 333 667 150 451 810

General population (1998) b b b b b b

Bases (unweighted):

Black Caribbean 62 112 145 114 142 193

Indian 62 127 171 72 126 167

Pakistani 120 115 67 141 109 55

Bangladeshi 145 57 14 151 55 10

Chinese 31 51 75 49 58 87

Irish 25 105 224 60 143 281

General population (1998) 458 1643 3162 714 2117 3278

^a High waist-hip ratio for men is 0.95 and over and for women is 0.85 and over.

^b Comparative data for the general population are not available on this topic from the 1999 survey itself, and for this table comparative data have therefore been taken from the 1998 survey, in which no weighting was involved.

^c Results not shown because of small bases.

We welcome your comments on this site.

Prepared 10 January 2001