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Feature Articles: Weight
Questions Answered about Body Mass IndexTammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, |
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Body Mass Index or BMI is used by health professionals as one
tool in determining health risks for chronic disease. It is used
for population assessment of overweight and obesity.
To determine what your body mass index is, you can go to the
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the Department of
Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health at
nhlbisupport.com/bmi.
You’ll need to enter your height and weight and it will compute
your BMI.
If you do not have access to the web, you can compute your
own BMI. Multiply your weight in pounds by 703 and then divide
that number by your height in inches squared. For example, if
you are 5 feet 4 inches tall and weigh 160 pounds you would
multiply 160 x 703 and get 112,480. You would then convert your
5 feet 4 inches to all inches and get 64 inches. Multiply 64 x
64 to get height in inches squared. That answer is 4096. You
then divide 112,480 by 4096 and get 27.46. You would round that
up to 27.5 for your BMI. (This applies to adults only. BMI is
figured differently for children.)
Now that you’ve figured out what your BMI is, you need to
know what it means. Essentially, it is an indicator of your
weight status as it relates to your height. A BMI below 18.5
indicates underweight. Normal range is 18.5 – 24.9. Overweight
is 25 – 29.9. Obesity is 30 and above.
Overweight and obesity puts people at higher risk for
developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, respiratory disorders, arthritis and gallbladder
disease. In addition, certain forms of cancer have been linked
to obesity.
When health professionals are determining risk factors for
disease, BMI is not the only consideration. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, other important factors for
determining the risk for chronic disease includes diet, physical
activity, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar
level, cholesterol level, and family history of disease.
When you are reading literature about health risks as they relate to obesity and overweight it is important to understand what BMI is. Keep in mind that BMI alone is not used as a diagnostic tool. It is only one piece of the puzzle in determining health risk.
Last update: Tuesday, August 22, 2006
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