Categories >> Body Measurements >> Body Mass Index
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a calculation that estimates a person’s weight relative to their height. It’s used to categorize people as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. BMI is a common tool for assessing health risk and making public health policy decisions. [1, 2, 3]
How it’s calculated [4]
• Metric units: BMI = weight (kg) / [height (m)]^2
• US customary units: BMI = weight (lb) / [height (in)]^2 x 703
What it’s used for [3, 5]
• Health risk: BMI is a risk factor for developing health issues like high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. [3, 5]
• Public health: BMI is used to help create public health policies. [2]
• Screening: Doctors use BMI to assess a person’s weight status. [6]
What it doesn’t account for [1]
• BMI doesn’t directly measure body fat. [1]
• BMI doesn’t account for age, sex, ethnicity, or muscle mass. [6]
• BMI doesn’t account for the distribution of fat in different parts of the body. [3]
What the categories mean [5]
• Underweight: BMI is less than 18.5
• Normal weight: BMI is between 18.5 and 22.9
• Mild to moderate overweight: BMI is between 23.0 and 27.4
• Very overweight to obese: BMI is 27.5 or higher
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/bmi/about/index.html
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535456/
[3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4890841/
[4] https://www.cdc.gov/growth-chart-training/hcp/using-bmi/body-mass-index.html
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index%5B6%5D
[6] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323622