What is body mass index BMI and why is it important?

Your BMI is a measurement that is a ratio of your weight and height. It’s a good way to gauge whether your weight is in healthy proportion to your height. In fact, knowing your BMI can help you – and your GP – determine any health risks you may face if it’s outside of the healthy range.

What is BMI a tool for?

BMI is a screening tool used to identify individuals who are underweight, overweight, or obese. BMI is NOT a diagnostic tool (Barlow, 2007). For example, a child who is relatively heavy may have a high BMI for his or her age. To determine whether the child has excess fat, further assessment is needed.

What is the formula of BMI?

With the metric system, the formula for BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Since height is commonly measured in centimeters, an alternate calculation formula, dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in centimeters squared, and then multiplying the result by 10,000, can be used.

What is the easiest way to calculate BMI?

BMI is calculated using your weight and height, so it’s an easy and inexpensive way to find out if you’re at a healthy weight. To determine your BMI, use this formula: Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 703. Divide this number by your height (in inches). Divide this number by your height (in inches), again.

What BMI is considered overweight?

The standard Overweight Definition. For adults, a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or more is considered overweight and a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

How do you calculate body mass index formula?

The Body Mass Index ( BMI ) is a calculation of the ratio between your weight and your height. The formula is used to determine the amount of body fat that you carry. The formula is your weight divided by your height squared (BMI = kg/m 2).

How accurate is body mass index, or BMI?

BMI is not an accurate predictor of health because it does not account for body fat percentage or body fat distribution. In addition, BMI cannot accurately predict the health of different demographics and races because it was created with data from only white Europeans.