BMI calculation - Calculate Body Mass Index

Health is wealth and also the passport to fitness and one of the ways of maintaining good health is to maintain an ideal weight. I would like to stress at the beginning that the ideal body weight is only for a general reference. Your ideal weight would depend solely on your body structure and to an extent on your genes. Hence, Body Mass Index (BMI) can be used to as a measure ones fitness level and the health threats they can be prone to. One can calculate body mass index to know if their weight is ideal.

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

BMI or Body mass index is a number calculated by dividing the weight of a person in kilograms by height in square meters. The Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet invented body mass index between 1830 and 1850 during the course of developing ‘social physics’. Body mass index is used to determine whether an individual, male or female, falls into a broad band considered to be healthy weight, or is outside the parameters and, if so, to what extent. The ideal body weight range are based on body mass index, taking into account whether it is of male or female. Also scientist and researchers who determine the health implications of being over or under weight use BMI.

Calculate Your Body Mass Index

In SI units, body mass index can be calculated by dividing the weight in kg by square of height in meters. In US units, the weight in pound has to be divided by square of height in inches and the result has to be multiplied by 703 to obtain the body mass index.

If a person has a BMI calculation of below 20 then the individual is considered to be underweight. While individuals who have a body mass index between 20 and 25 lie in the normal weight category and people with body mass index of 25 or above are overweight. Individuals are said to be obesity when their body mass index is above 30. However, it is important to remember that these ranges of body mass index values are valid only as statistical categories when applied to adults in general and do not predict health in any way. There are different opinions on the threshold for being underweight in females, anything from 18.5 to 20 is being the lowest weight, however the most frequently baseline used is 19. When the body mass index nears 15 it is usually considered as an indicator for starvation and the health risks involved are evaluated.

The Survey by the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination of 1994 indicated that 59% of American men and 49% of women had BMI over 25. 2% of the men and 4% of the women were in the category of extreme obesity having a BMI of 40 or more.

The recommended distinctions along the linear scale may vary periodically and region to region, making global, longitudinal surveys problematic. It was only in 1998, the U.S. National Institutes of Health brought the United States definitions into line with World Health Organization guidelines, lowering the normal/overweight cut-off from BMI 27.8 to BMI 25.

The BMI figures were further revised in 2005 with an emphasis on health risks instead of weight. Adults whose body mass index is between 18.5 and 22.9 have a low risk of developing heart disease and other health problems such as diabetes. Individuals with a body mass index between 23 and 27.4 are at moderate risk and those with a body mass index of 27.5 and above are at high risk of heart disease and other health problems.

The best way to determine the body mass index is to have the doctor find it for you. It will not only be accurate but the doctor can discuss the result too. However you can also use the calculators available on net to determine your body mass index but do remember that they are for the average adult between the ages of 20 and 65 only. These calculators should not be used for pregnant women or children. As these calculators are not for everyone and are not designed to provide medical advice, if one has any concern about weight or health it is wise to consult a doctor or a health care provider.

No doubt, weight is an important factor that not only determines your health but is also a part of your persona. If you are over weight, then do not go on crash diets. Eat healthy and exercise regularly. This is the mantra for living a healthy and wealthy life.