New Delhi, July 13 -- India plans to introduce waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) tracking across public hospitals as part of a nationwide strategy to curb obesity, marking a shift away from relying primarily on Body Mass Index (BMI), according to two government officials aware of the plans.

The nationwide exercise, led by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, will focus on measuring abdominal fat-considered a stronger predictor of metabolic diseases than overall body weight-and is expected to begin across government hospitals, the officials said.

The move follows findings from the Lancet Commission on Obesity, that BMI often misclassifies health risks in South Asians, who are genetically predisposed to accumulating harmful visceral fa...