@article{ART003390675},
author={옥현태},
title={Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence},
journal={Anatomy & Biological Anthropology},
issn={2671-5651},
year={2026},
volume={39},
number={3},
pages={203-210},
doi={10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203}
TY - JOUR
AU - 옥현태
TI - Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence
JO - Anatomy & Biological Anthropology
PY - 2026
VL - 39
IS - 3
PB - 대한체질인류학회
SP - 203
EP - 210
SN - 2671-5651
AB - The umbilicus is a convenient surface landmark for waist circumference measurement, but it is a soft-tissue scar rather than a fixed skeletal landmark. This focused narrative review examined whether anatomical evidence supports automatic interchangeability between umbilical-level measurements and protocols based on palpable bony landmarks. PubMed was searched through July 31, 2026, supplemented by citation tracking and Korean Citation Index searches. Evidence was classified as direct measurement evidence, direct anatomical evidence, or contextual evidence. Studies comparing waist sites directly show that absolute values and obesity classification may vary by site despite high within-site reliability. Morphometric studies show interindividual variation in umbilical position and nonuniform associations with body mass index, age, sex, population, posture, and abdominal-wall state. However, no identified study directly tested, in the same participants, whether individual displacement of the umbilicus predicts the difference between umbilical-level and bony-landmark waist measurements. Therefore, anatomical variation should be interpreted as a comparability concern and a testable mechanism, not as proof of a causal measurement error or universal invalidity. Previous reviews addressed either aesthetic umbilical reconstruction or the predictive performance of waist sites; the present review instead links surface anatomy to measurement interpretation and provides a source-mapped preliminary reporting checklist. Evidence is sufficient to reject automatic interchangeability among protocols but insufficient to declare umbilical-level measurement universally invalid. Prospective standing-position studies that measure both umbilical location and multiple waist levels are required.
KW - Anatomic Landmarks;Anthropometry;Umbilicus;Waist Circumference
DO - 10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
ER -
옥현태. (2026). Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence. Anatomy & Biological Anthropology, 39(3), 203-210.
옥현태. 2026, "Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence", Anatomy & Biological Anthropology, vol.39, no.3 pp.203-210. Available from: doi:10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
옥현태 "Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence" Anatomy & Biological Anthropology 39.3 pp.203-210 (2026) : 203.
옥현태. Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence. 2026; 39(3), 203-210. Available from: doi:10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
옥현태. "Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence" Anatomy & Biological Anthropology 39, no.3 (2026) : 203-210.doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
옥현태. Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence. Anatomy & Biological Anthropology, 39(3), 203-210. doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
옥현태. Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence. Anatomy & Biological Anthropology. 2026; 39(3) 203-210. doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
옥현태. Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence. 2026; 39(3), 203-210. Available from: doi:10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
옥현태. "Anatomical Variation and Measurement Limitations of Umbilical-Level Waist Circumference: A Narrative Review of Morphometric Evidence" Anatomy & Biological Anthropology 39, no.3 (2026) : 203-210.doi: 10.11637/aba.2026.39.3.203
