ABSI Body Shape Index

The A Body Shape Index (ABSI) is a metric that combines height, weight, and waist circumference to estimate health risks associated with body fat distribution. Unlike BMI, ABSI accounts for fat distribution around the waist, which can be a more accurate indicator of risks for heart diseases, diabetes, and other conditions. Enter your measurements below to get your ABSI score.


1. Introduction to ABSI

Evaluating an individual's health is a complex and multifactorial process. Historically, the Body Mass Index (BMI) has been widely used as an indicator of physical health. However, ABSI (A Body Shape Index) is a new index introduced following a pioneering study conducted in the United States. Its relevance and popularity have grown over the years, as it more accurately takes into account the distribution of body fat than BMI does.

2. Data Origin

Data regarding ABSI primarily comes from the NHANES study carried out in the United States. This study highlighted the importance of this index in evaluating physical health and the risks associated with certain diseases.

3. Advantages of Using ABSI

The significant advantage of ABSI is that it's less influenced by stature or height. Moreover, several studies have shown that ABSI is a better predictor of health risks, such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes, compared to BMI.

4. Comparison between ABSI and BMI

Unlike the BMI, which mainly relies on weight and height, ABSI incorporates waist circumference to assess the distribution of body fat. This provides a more detailed and accurate view of an individual's health, highlighting the risks associated with central fat accumulation, often linked to major health issues.

5. Calculation Method for ABSI and ABSI z-score

The standard formula to calculate ABSI is:

`\text{ABSI} = \text{Waist Circumference} / (\text{BMI}^(2/3) * \text{Height}^(1/2))`

It is important to emphasize that for accurate interpretation, one must consider the individual's gender and age, even though the formula itself does not directly incorporate these factors.

The ABSI Z-Score evaluates how far an individual's ABSI is from the average of their reference population in terms of standard deviations. The formula to calculate the ABSI z-score is:

`\text{ABSI Z-Score} = (\text{Individual ABSI} - \text{Population's average ABSI}) / \text{ABSI standard deviation of the population}`

This standardization allows for a better comparison and interpretation of ABSI relative to a given population.

6. Interpretation Using the ABSI Z-Score Table

To assess the mortality risk associated with an individual's ABSI, we use the Z-Score. This score indicates how many standard deviations the individual's ABSI value is from the population average. The table below provides a scale to interpret the ABSI Z-Score in terms of mortality risk:

ABSI Z-Score Mortality Risk
Less than -0.868 Very Low
-0.868 to -0.272 Low
-0.272 to 0.229 Moderate
0.229 to 0.798 High
More than 0.798 Very High

7. ABSI Reference Values According to the NHANES Study

This table presents the average values and standard deviation of ABSI for different ages and genders, as observed in the NHANES study.

Gender : Male

AgeAverage ABSIABSI Standard DeviationSmoothed Average ABSISmoothed ABSI Standard Deviation
20.077780.003120.07890.00384
30.079310.002830.079150.00384
40.079320.0030.079370.00383
50.080090.003350.079550.00383
60.079890.003620.079640.00382
70.079680.003410.079660.00382
80.080630.004150.079580.00382
90.080250.004230.079420.00381
100.079690.004080.079170.00381
110.079640.004420.078860.00381
120.079530.004380.078490.0038
130.078070.004340.07810.0038
140.077120.004360.077720.0038
150.076470.004150.077390.00379
160.075830.003790.077160.00379
170.076250.003760.077030.00378
180.076650.003610.077020.00378
190.076650.003930.077110.00378
200.077150.00410.077280.00377
210.077540.00370.07750.00377
220.078610.004520.077770.00377
230.078390.003640.078040.00376
240.077940.003630.078310.00376
250.07880.003540.078580.00376
260.078950.003810.078820.00375
270.079360.004020.079040.00375
280.079990.003870.079220.00374
290.079440.003810.079380.00374
300.079490.00370.079510.00374
310.07890.003170.079630.00373
320.079220.003740.079750.00373
330.08010.004080.079880.00373
340.079770.003670.080.00372
350.080390.003580.080130.00372
360.079660.003970.080270.00371
370.079990.003810.080420.00371
380.080310.003670.080570.00371
390.081140.003630.080720.0037
400.080890.003540.080870.0037
410.081270.003350.081020.0037
420.081220.003470.081170.00369
430.080840.003390.081320.00369
440.08110.003270.081480.00368
450.08140.003320.081650.00368
460.082720.004260.081830.00368
470.081760.003060.082010.00367
480.081190.003230.082210.00367
490.082720.0040.08240.00367
500.083220.003330.08260.00366
510.082610.003850.082790.00366
520.082810.00360.082970.00365
530.082720.003990.083150.00365
540.083240.003560.083340.00365
550.083880.004060.083520.00364
560.083210.003860.083690.00364
570.085290.003930.083860.00364
580.083740.003440.084030.00363
590.083430.003540.084190.00363
600.083920.003540.084360.00362
610.084870.003540.084540.00362
620.084550.003480.084710.00362
630.085130.003520.084890.00361
640.084890.002750.085060.00361
650.085470.003430.085220.0036
660.085830.003430.085370.0036
670.085180.003240.085510.0036
680.085650.002980.085650.00359
690.086330.003820.085780.00359
700.085340.003870.085910.00359
710.086030.003560.086040.00358
720.086350.003640.086160.00358
730.086050.003250.086290.00357
740.086480.003870.086410.00357
750.087130.003630.086530.00357
760.086710.003130.086650.00356
770.086910.003480.086750.00356
780.085920.003830.086850.00355
790.087450.003610.086950.00355
800.087590.003840.087050.00355
810.087140.003950.087140.00354
820.087130.00370.087230.00354
830.087140.003420.087320.00354
840.087630.003850.087420.00353
850.088110.003560.088110.00356

Genre : Femme

AgeAverage ABSIABSI Standard DeviationSmoothed Average ABSISmoothed ABSI Standard Deviation
20.079220.003190.080310.00363
30.080.003030.080160.00366
40.080450.00280.080010.00369
50.080850.003270.079850.00372
60.080060.003380.079690.00375
70.080130.003330.079520.00378
80.080390.003880.079350.0038
90.080160.00370.079170.00383
100.079140.003780.078990.00386
110.079340.0040.078810.00389
120.078250.004030.078630.00392
130.078070.004390.078460.00395
140.077620.004410.078290.00397
150.077010.003910.078140.004
160.077390.003990.077990.00403
170.077140.003940.077870.00406
180.077050.004130.077750.00408
190.077430.004190.077650.00411
200.077120.004650.077570.00414
210.077860.004150.07750.00416
220.077280.00430.077440.00419
230.077260.004630.07740.00422
240.077710.00490.077370.00424
250.076990.004070.077350.00427
260.077190.005430.077340.00429
270.077560.00450.077350.00432
280.077720.004680.077360.00435
290.077440.004020.077390.00437
300.077030.004210.077430.0044
310.077140.004780.077470.00442
320.077380.004840.077520.00445
330.077860.004740.077590.00447
340.077790.004590.077660.0045
350.077560.004520.077730.00452
360.078540.004250.077820.00454
370.078150.003960.07790.00457
380.078610.0050.0780.00459
390.077790.00480.07810.00462
400.07790.004620.07820.00464
410.078920.004030.078310.00466
420.078330.004630.078420.00469
430.078820.004930.078540.00471
440.077740.004980.078660.00473
450.07860.004620.078790.00476
460.0790.003860.078920.00478
470.079160.004770.079050.0048
480.078880.005420.079190.00483
490.079780.004640.079330.00485
500.078940.005060.079470.00487
510.080390.004360.079620.00489
520.080680.004710.079770.00492
530.079410.00420.079920.00494
540.080540.005410.080070.00496
550.078720.004980.080230.00498
560.080.005660.080390.00501
570.080250.005040.080550.00503
580.082040.004910.080720.00505
590.080380.004810.080880.00507
600.080940.005140.081050.00509
610.081830.004780.081220.00511
620.081460.004480.081390.00514
630.082260.004710.081560.00516
640.08120.005560.081740.00518
650.081480.006040.081910.0052
660.081480.005660.082080.00522
670.082830.004860.082260.00524
680.082280.005440.082430.00526
690.082090.005280.082610.00528
700.083160.004850.082780.0053
710.083940.005010.082960.00533
720.082460.005630.083130.00535
730.084950.004950.08330.00537
740.083420.004430.083460.00539
750.082760.004490.083630.00541
760.084640.005010.08380.00543
770.085390.0050.083960.00545
780.083320.006110.084120.00547
790.083760.005850.084280.00549
800.085430.005980.084440.00551
810.084060.005670.08460.00553
820.083550.006410.084760.00555
830.085420.006110.084920.00557
840.084070.004840.085080.00559
850.085330.005280.085330.00528

8. Conclusion

The ABSI provides a unique perspective on an individual's health, offering a more comprehensive view than BMI alone. While BMI remains a valuable tool, ABSI should be considered an essential complement in assessing body health.

See also

All Body Measurements Calculators
All Health Calculators