What is the full form of BMI

BMI: Body Mass Index

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a measure to classify people under the following categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. It is the ratio of your weight in kilograms to the square of your height in meters. People with high BMI have too much body weight or body fat for their height.

BMI gives you a rough estimate of your overall fitness and the possibility of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, gallstones etc. A highly muscular person may have a high BMI without any health risk. BMI was introduced in the 1830s by Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician. It is also known as the Quetelet index.

BMI Categories:

BMI =< 18.5 indicates Underweight
BMI = 18.5-24.9 indicates Normal weight
BMI = 25-29.9 indicates Overweight
BMI = 30-34.9 indicates Obesity
BMI= 35-39.9 indicates severely obese
BMI > 40 indicates morbid obesity

Precision of BMI

BMI provides a healthy weight range for a given height by accounting for natural variations in body form.

In addition to your BMI, healthcare professionals may take into account other factors when deciding if you have a healthy weight.

Heavyweight boxers, weightlifters, and athletes may be incredibly muscular and still be at a healthy weight even though their BMI is considered to be obese since muscle is much denser than fat.

Your chance of developing some diseases might also be influenced by your ethnicity. For instance, South Asian adults with a BMI of 23, which is typically seen as healthy, may be more prone to certain health issues, such as diabetes.

Furthermore, you shouldn't use BMI as measurement if you are expecting to give birth.

How to calculate BMI

To calculate BMI, you are required to have two values: a person's height in meters and his weight in kilograms. If the height is in inches, the weight should be in pounds. The formula to calculate BMI is as follows:

BMI = weight in kilograms / (height in meters) ²

BMI = weight in pounds / (height in inches) ² X 703 (if pounds and inches are used, a conversion factor of 703 must be applied).

Let us see an example:

A person with a height of 2 meters and a weight of 80 Kg will have BMI = 20, as calculated below:

BMI = 80 kg / (2)² meter

= 80 / 4 = 20 (normal weight)

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

1 meter = 39.37 inches

So, weight in pounds of this person= 80 x 2.2 = 176 pounds

Similarly, height in inches of this person = 2 x 39.37 = 78.74 inches

BMI = 176 pounds / (78.74)² inches x 703

=176 / 6200 x 703