Your BMI (body mass index) is a measure of a person’s body size and combines weight with their height. It is a screening tool used to see if a person is a healthy weight or is obese. If a person’s BMI is outside of the healthy range, their health risks could increase significantly and possibly lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems. If a person’s weight is too low it could lead to malnutrition, anemia and osteoporosis. The BMI is not a measure of body fat. There are ways to measure that. However, it does screen for potential health problems.
There are several ways to measure a person’s BMI. They are as follows:
1. Metric units-BMI=kg/m2-divide weight in kilograms (kg) by the square of their height in meters (m2). You can measure height in centimeters (cm), divide height in cm by 100 to get height in meters.
2. You can use the imperial system/BMI = lbs x 703. Divide by height in inches squared.
3. Another option is to use a BMI calculator. You can download an app for a BMI calculator.
Ideally, the body mass index should be between 18.5 and 24.9. A BMI of less than 18.5 indicates that