Find out your metabolic health risk in minutes — calibrated for Malaysian bodies.Check risiko kesihatan metabolik anda sepantas kilat — ikut formula orang Malaysia!
The WHO published Asia-Pacific-specific BMI and waist circumference cutoffs in 2004, recognising that Asians develop cardiometabolic risk at lower body mass than Western populations. These thresholds underpin the BMI classification, waist circumference risk categorisation, and risk zone shading in the BMI vs Waist chart throughout this app.
WHO Expert Consultation report →Malaysia's national health survey conducted by the Institute for Public Health (IKU) under the Ministry of Health (MOH). The 2019 edition surveyed over 10,000 adults and reported prevalence of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension, and diabetes by sex and age group. This app uses published mean BMI and waist circumference values from NHMS 2019 and 2023 as seed data for the Malaysian population scatter chart. Individual data points in that chart are statistically simulated from those means using Gaussian noise — they are not real survey respondents.
NHMS 2019 full report → NHMS 2023 full report →FINDRISC is a validated, non-invasive diabetes risk screening tool developed by Lindström & Tuomilehto (2003). This app uses an Asian-calibrated version that adjusts waist circumference thresholds for Asian body proportions: men ≥90 cm (standard) / >99 cm (high), women ≥80 cm (standard) / >87 cm (high), consistent with WHO Asia-Pacific and JADE (Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation) programme recommendations. The score produces a 10-year risk estimate for type 2 diabetes.
Lindström & Tuomilehto 2003 (original FINDRISC) →ABSI was introduced by Krakauer NY & Krakauer JC (2012) as a measure of abdominal obesity that accounts for height and BMI, capturing visceral fat risk that BMI alone misses. Higher ABSI values indicate a more apple-shaped fat distribution pattern independently associated with all-cause mortality risk.
Krakauer & Krakauer 2012 (PLOS ONE) →BAI was developed by Bergman RN et al. (2011) as a surrogate measure of body fat percentage derived from hip circumference and height — without requiring weight. It was validated primarily in Hispanic and African-American populations and is included here as an optional supplementary metric when hip circumference is entered. Users should note its validation basis differs from Malaysian populations.
Bergman et al. 2011 (Obesity) →Our World in Data aggregates long-run health statistics from the Global Burden of Disease study and WHO. Population context figures referenced in this app — including Malaysia's overweight prevalence (~50% of adults) and the global tripling of obesity rates since 1990 — are drawn from OWID's published country-level data.
OWID obesity data →All six indices are computed from raw inputs (weight in kg, height in cm, waist in cm, hip in cm). Height and waist are converted to metres where the formula requires it.
1. Body Mass Index (BMI)
2. Waist Circumference (WC) — used directly as entered in cm. No formula applied; classified against WHO Asia-Pacific cutoffs.
3. Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR)
Boundary: ≥0.50 = elevated risk; ≥0.60 = high risk. Universal across ethnicities.
4. A Body Shape Index (ABSI) — Krakauer & Krakauer (2012)
5. Conicity Index
Values >1.25 (men) or >1.18 (women) indicate apple-shaped fat distribution.
6. Body Adiposity Index (BAI) — Bergman et al. (2011) — optional, requires hip measurement
Result approximates body fat percentage (%). Note: hip stays in cm; only height converts to metres.
Each metric is assigned one of three risk tiers — Healthy, Needs attention, or High risk — based on the following cutoffs. Sex-specific values are shown where applicable.
| Metric | Healthy | Needs attention | High risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMI (age 18–59) | 18.5 – 22.9 | 23.0 – 27.4 | ≥ 27.5 |
| BMI (age 60–69) | 20.0 – 24.9 | 25.0 – 29.4 | ≥ 29.5 |
| BMI (age 70+) | 22.0 – 26.9 | 27.0 – 31.4 | ≥ 31.5 |
| Waist — men | < 90 cm | 90 – 99 cm | ≥ 100 cm |
| Waist — women | < 80 cm | 80 – 87 cm | ≥ 88 cm |
| WHtR | < 0.50 | 0.50 – 0.59 | ≥ 0.60 |
| ABSI — men | < 0.087 | 0.087 – 0.099 | ≥ 0.100 |
| ABSI — women | < 0.083 | 0.083 – 0.094 | ≥ 0.095 |
| Conicity — men | < 1.25 | 1.25 – 1.37 | ≥ 1.38 |
| Conicity — women | < 1.18 | 1.18 – 1.29 | ≥ 1.30 |
| BAI — men | < 22% | 22 – 27% | ≥ 28% |
| BAI — women | < 30% | 30 – 35% | ≥ 36% |
Points are summed across all applicable questions. Maximum score is 26.
| Question | Condition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 45 – 54 years | +2 |
| 55 – 64 years | +3 | |
| ≥ 65 years | +4 | |
| BMI | 23.0 – 27.4 | +1 |
| ≥ 27.5 | +3 | |
| Waist — men | 90 – 99 cm | +3 |
| ≥ 100 cm | +4 | |
| Waist — women | 80 – 87 cm | +3 |
| ≥ 88 cm | +4 | |
| Physical activity | < 30 min/day moderate activity | +2 |
| Diet | Does not eat vegetables or fruit daily | +1 |
| Blood pressure | Diagnosed or on medication | +2 |
| Blood glucose | Previously found elevated | +5 |
| Family history | 2nd-degree relative (grandparent / aunt / uncle) | +3 |
| 1st-degree relative (parent / sibling / child) | +5 | |
| Gestational diabetes | Women only — history of GDM | +5 |
Score interpretation:
| Score | Risk level | Estimated 10-year T2DM risk |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 7 | Low | ~1% |
| 8 – 11 | Slightly elevated | ~4% |
| 12 – 14 | Moderate | ~17% |
| 15 – 20 | High | ~33% |
| 21 – 26 | Very high | ~50% |
Each metric is first normalised to a 0–100 scale using its reference range, then weighted and summed to produce a single composite score (0 = lowest risk, 100 = highest risk).
Step 1 — Normalise each metric to 0–100:
Step 2 — Normalisation ranges:
| Metric | Min (score = 0) | Max (score = 100) |
|---|---|---|
| BMI | 15 | 42 |
| Waist circumference | 55 cm | 130 cm |
| WHtR | 0.30 | 0.80 |
| ABSI | 0.065 | 0.115 |
| Conicity Index | 0.90 | 1.60 |
| FINDRISC score | 0 | 26 |
Step 3 — Weighted composite:
Waist circumference and FINDRISC carry the highest weight (25% each) as the strongest independent predictors of cardiometabolic risk in Asian populations. BAI is excluded from the composite as it is an optional supplementary metric.
Step 4 — Composite score tiers:
| Composite score | Verdict |
|---|---|
| 0 – 30 | Metabolically healthy |
| 31 – 70 | Some markers to watch |
| 71 – 100 | Elevated risk |
Floor-rule callout: If any single metric is classified as High risk but the composite score remains in the healthy zone (0–30), a separate callout is shown beneath the dial naming that specific metric. The dial verdict and action card are not overridden — the composite score is preserved as the primary output.
The population scatter chart is seeded from NHMS 2019 and 2023 published mean BMI and waist circumference values by sex and age band. Individual points are generated at runtime using a 6-sample Gaussian approximation:
Standard deviations used: σ(BMI) = 3.8, σ(WC) = 9.5. n = 300 points (all ages) or 220 (single age band). Points are clamped to physiologically plausible ranges. These are simulated reference points, not individual survey respondents.
NHMS seed means used (BMI):
| Age band | Men (mean BMI) | Women (mean BMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 18 – 29 | 23.8 | 23.2 |
| 30 – 39 | 25.6 | 25.8 |
| 40 – 49 | 26.1 | 27.4 |
| 50 – 59 | 25.8 | 28.1 |
| 60+ | 24.9 | 26.8 |
NHMS seed means used (Waist circumference, cm):
| Age band | Men (mean WC) | Women (mean WC) |
|---|---|---|
| 18 – 29 | 82.0 | 77.5 |
| 30 – 39 | 88.5 | 81.2 |
| 40 – 49 | 91.2 | 85.6 |
| 50 – 59 | 90.8 | 87.3 |
| 60+ | 89.4 | 85.9 |
This tool is a screening aid, not a diagnostic instrument. Results should be interpreted alongside clinical history, blood investigations, and professional judgement. Specific limitations to note: