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Body mass index

2014-11-26T22:41:42Z

140039535:

Body mass index (BMI) is used as an indicator of general health. It is calculated taking into account a person's height and weight.

The calculation is :  BMI = Weight (kg) / Height2 (m)

This calculation catagorises people into distinct groups:

If a person's BMI is less than 18.5 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'underweight.'

If a person's BMI is between 18.5 kg/m2 and 24.9 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'healthy.'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 25 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'overweight.'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 35 kg/m2 then that person is considered '[[Obese|obese]].'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 40 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'morbidly obese.'

Height-weight tables are used to display this information in a clear manner. 

However, calculating a person's BMI is not always the best method of calculating how healthy that person may be. For example, athletes may have higher body mass index's but have a very low body fat. Men are also likely to have a higher body mass index than women of the same height. It is only by considering body composition as a whole that we can get an ideal picture of how healthy or not a person may be. This includes looking at height, weight, gender, age, [[Body fat percentage|body fat percentage]], frame size and energy expenditure.<ref>Gropper, S.S., Smith, J., & Groff, J., 2005. 'Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism,' Wadsworth/Thomson. (pp. 519-530).</ref> 

 

=== References ===

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Body mass index

2014-11-26T22:39:05Z

140039535:

Body mass index (BMI) is used as an indicator of general health. It is calculated taking into account a person's height and weight.

The calculation is :  BMI = Weight (kg) / Height2 (m)

This calculation catagorises people into distinct groups:

If a person's BMI is less than 18.5 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'underweight.'

If a person's BMI is between 18.5 kg/m2 and 24.9 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'healthy.'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 25 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'overweight.'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 35 kg/m2 then that person is considered '[[Obese|obese]].'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 40 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'morbidly obese.'

Height-weight tables are used to display this information in a clear manner. 

However, calculating a person's BMI is not always the best method of calculating how healthy that person may be. For example, athletes may have higher body mass index's but have a very low body fat. Men are also likely to have a higher body mass index than women of the same height. It is only by considering body composition as a whole that we can get an ideal picture of how healthy or not a person may be. This includes looking at height, weight, gender, age, [[Body fat percentage|body fat percentage]], frame size and energy expenditure.<ref>Gropper, S.S., Smith, J., &amp;amp;amp; Groff, J., 2005. 'Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism,' Wadsworth/ Thomson. (pp. 519-530).</ref> 

=== References ===

<references />

Body mass index

2014-11-26T18:06:14Z

140039535: Created page with "Body mass index (BMI) is used as an indicator of general health. It is calculated taking into account a person's height and weight. The calculation is :  BMI = Weight..."

Body mass index (BMI) is used as an indicator of general health. It is calculated taking into account a person's height and weight.

The calculation is :  BMI = Weight (kg) / Height2 (m)

This calculation catagorises people into distinct groups:

If a person's BMI is less than 18.5 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'underweight.'

If a person's BMI is between 18.5 kg/m2 and 24.9 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'healthy.'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 25 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'overweight.'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 35 kg/m2 then that person is considered '[[Obese|obese]].'

If a person's BMI is equal to or above 40 kg/m2 then that person is considered 'morbidly obese.'

Height-weight tables are used to display this information in a clear manner. 

However, calculating a person's BMI is not always the best method of calculating how healthy that person may be. For example, athletes may have higher body mass index's but have a very low body fat. Men are also likely to have a higher body mass index than women of the same height. It is only by considering body composition as a whole that we can get an ideal picture of how healthy or not a person may be. This includes looking at height, weight, gender, age, [[Body fat percentage|body fat percentage]], frame size and energy expenditure.<ref>Gropper, S.S., Smith, J., &amp;amp; Groff, J., 2005. 'Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism,' Wadsworth/ Thomson. (pp. 519-530).</ref>