Styku Health Score — How It's Calculated and What It Means

The Styku Health Score is a single number that reflects a client's overall body-shape health risk based purely on anthropometrics — the study of the body's size, shape, and composition. It is not influenced by lifestyle surveys, self-reported data, or non-physical factors.

The score is grounded in body-shape biometrics that leading organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have linked to preventable chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

How Is the Health Score Calculated?

The Health Score is the equally weighted average of three anthropometric measurements:

1. Body Mass Index (BMI) — the established clinical standard for classifying overweight and obesity.
2. Waist Circumference — a direct indicator of visceral (abdominal) fat, used by leading health organizations to classify disease risk.
3. Trunk-to-Leg Volume Ratio (TLVR) — a Styku-specific 3D-shape metric scientifically validated to predict cardiometabolic risk.

Health Score Ranges

Score | Category

90–100 | Optimal

80–89 | Good

70–79 | Average

50–69 | Fair

25–49 | Poor

< 25 | Alarming

A higher score reflects a healthier body-shape profile and lower estimated chronic-disease risk. A lower score indicates elevated risk and a starting point for lifestyle changes. As a client improves their body shape and composition over time, their Health Score should increase.

Health Score vs. Shape Score

The Health Score and the Styku Shape Score are two different metrics. Both are single-number summaries calculated as equally weighted averages of three inputs, but the inputs differ:

Metric | Inputs

**Health Score** | BMI · Waist Circumference · TLVR

**Shape Score** | Body Fat % · Muscle-Fat Index · Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR)

The Health Score emphasizes clinically established disease-risk indicators (BMI + waist + 3D-shape risk). The Shape Score emphasizes body composition trends most useful for fitness and recomposition tracking. See What is Shape Score and how is it calculated? for the Shape Score detail.

How to Talk to Clients About Their Score

When explaining the Health Score:

• Emphasize that it is a starting point, not a diagnosis.
• Frame improvements as achievable through lifestyle changes, tracked over time with repeat scans.
• Use the score to motivate engagement with your fitness, wellness, or clinical programs.
• Remind clients that each re-scan provides updated results, making progress visible and measurable.

What Is NOT Included in the Health Score?

The Styku Health Score does not include measurements related to:

• Mental health
• Hydration
• Family history
• Genetics
• Other non-anthropometric factors

The score is intended to help clients understand their body-shape results and identify action steps — not to replace clinical evaluation by a licensed healthcare provider. Edge cases exist: for example, individuals with "metabolically healthy obesity" may have normal blood work but still show elevated risk on a body scan. Research indicates these individuals face significantly higher risks over time, so a clean blood test does not negate what a scan reveals.

What Is "General Health" in the App?

The General Health section of the Styku mobile app highlights overall health, aging, and health-cost estimates as they relate to a client's anthropometrics and body composition. More broadly, the Health section of the app uses anthropometrics and composition as an indirect map to the body's internal state — estimating risk of preventable chronic health conditions.

Scientific References

• Ashwell, M. (2011). Charts based on body mass index and waist-to-height ratio to assess the health risks of obesity. The Open Obesity Journal, 3(1).
• De Koning, L. et al. (2007). Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio as predictors of cardiovascular events. European Heart Journal, 28(7), 850–856.
• Grundy, S. M. et al. (2005). Diagnosis and management of the metabolic syndrome. Circulation, 112(17), 2735–2752.
• Leitzmann, M. F. et al. (2011). Waist circumference as compared with BMI in predicting mortality. PLoS One, 6(4), e18582.
• Okorodudu, D. O. et al. (2010). Diagnostic performance of BMI to identify obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 34(5), 791–799.
• Oreopoulos, A. et al. (2010). Association between direct measures of body composition and prognostic factors in chronic heart failure. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 85(7), 609–617.
• NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative. (2000). The practical guide: identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. NIH/NHLBI.
• Romero-Corral, A. et al. (2008). Accuracy of BMI in diagnosing obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 32(6), 959–966.
• Vazquez, G. et al. (2007). Comparison of BMI, waist circumference, and waist/hip ratio in predicting incident diabetes. Epidemiologic Reviews, 29(1), 115–128.
• World Health Organization. (2011). Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation.

Applies to: All Styku configurations.

Related Resources

• What does Styku measure, and what data do clients receive after a scan?
• What is Shape Score and how is it calculated?
• Styku Anthropometric Metrics — BMI, WHR, WHtR, and TLVR Explained
• What is the Health Risks summary in the Styku scan report?
• What is waist shape and why does it matter for health risk assessment?