What is Body Mass Index?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat. BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems.

How Body Mass Index is calculated

Formula to calculate BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

How BMI is interpreted 

Table above shows weight categories associated with BMI ranges for adults. For children and teens the interpretation of BMI is both age and sex-specific so this table may not be accurate.

How reliable is BMI as an indicator of body fatness?

The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however the correlation varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples:

·                     At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men.

·                     At the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults.

·                     Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rathe than  increased body fatness.