Body Mass Index: A Tool to Identify Possible Weight Problems
You may have heard of the term "BMI" which stands for Body Mass Index. This is a number that is calculated from a person's weight and height. A person's BMI can be a reliable indicator of body fat and is often used as a screening tool for weight categories that may lead to health problems.
Measuring a person's BMI is easy to do as well as inexpensive. It is calculated by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplying by a conversion factor.
For adults, BMI is interpreted for both males and females using the same categories. A BMI of under 18.5 is considered underweight. The normal range is 18.5-24.9, while the overweight range is 25-29.9. Anything 30 and above is considered obese.
It should be noted that while reliable, Body Mass Index is only one factor related to risk for disease. Other predictors include risk factors such as high blood pressure and the amount of abdominal fat one has. However, having one's BMI measured can be an important first step in assessing whether someone is overweight or obese--and therefore at an increased risk for many health conditions and diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, gallbladder disease, hypertension and more.
BMI is calculated the same way for both children and adults, but the criteria used to interpret the meaning of the BMI number for children and teens are different from those used for adults. For children and teens, BMI sex- and age-specific percentiles are used because the amount of body fat differs between girls and boys, and the amount of body fat changes with age.
For more information, lecture topics, and treatment plans in the areas of weight management, obesity and nutrition, contact Allegheny Medical's WellnessCare for a complimentary consultation today at (412) 494-4554.
January 18th, 2010 - 15:10
What about people with muscles, how it is their BMI to their health ?
February 23rd, 2010 - 15:00
Hi Mark, Increased muscle mass is always a benefit. For generally speaking BMI usually does not fit for the muscular or lean athlete. And there is the benefit an athletic individual has much more crdiovascular benefit than just looking at the BMI. As mentioned this is only one piece of information when looking at the clinical picture. Thanks for the question.