Body mass index: Difference between revisions
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..." |
(No difference)
|
Revision as of 18:06, 26 November 2014
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.'
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, frame size and energy expenditure.[1]
- ↑ Gropper, S.S., Smith, J., & Groff, J., 2005. 'Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism,' Wadsworth/ Thomson. (pp. 519-530).