Body mass index (BMI) is also known as the Quetelet Index – which is a calculation for ascertaining amount of body fat in an individual.
Purpose of Body mass index
Healthcare professionals find it quite efficient to assess the weight of the patient through the Body Mass Index. This measurement can also suggest the extent to which a patient has the propensity to become obese and thereby suffer from obesity-related diseases.
Description of Body mass index
BMI is based on calculation of facts and figures and is a good assessment tool. One can apply this measure to measure the trend among groups of people and also hat it can be applied to individuals. The concept when applied to individuals, can only state how much is the health risk associated with being underweight, overweight or obese.
History of BMI
The formula for calculating BMI had been conceived about a hundred years ago by Belgian mathematician and scientist Lambert Adolphe Quetelet. He has some measurement tool which was known as the Quetelet Index of Obesity. He had been the first one to apply the concept of a bell-shaped distribution to measure physical and behavioral characteristics of humans. Weight and height are the two measurements are required while calculating the Body Mass Index. For calculating BMI with the help of metric units, i.e., weight in kilograms (kg) is divided by the height squared measured in meters (m). For calculating it in imperial units, weight in pounds (lb) is divided by height squared in inches (in) and then multiplied by 703. The number produced is the BMI of an individual.
Interpreting BMI calculations for adults
Adults over the age of 20 years are evaluated on the following Body Mass Index Scale -
- BMI below 18.5: Underweight
- BMI 18.5-24.9: Normal weight
- BMI 25.0-29.9: Overweight
- BMI 30 and above: Obese
A Body Mass Index below 17 indicates that an individual is serious ill and has health-threatening malnourishment. On the other hand, a Body Mass Index of more than 40 indicates morbid obesity, leading you to the risk of having obesity-related diseases such as stroke, heart attack, and type 2 diabetes.
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