An individual’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. Also called the Quetelet index. Abbr. BMI. The index indicates how much fat the individual is carrying.
The U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute uses the body mass index to classify obesity:1
| Obesity Class | BMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Underweight | less than 18.5 | |
| Normal | 18.5–24.9 | |
| Overweight | 25.0–29.9 | |
| Obesity | I | 30.0–34.9 |
| II | 35.0–39.9 | |
| Extreme obesity | III | 40 and above |
The BMI is not the only obesity-related factor that indicates increased risk of disease. Another, independent, factor is waistline, since those who deposit fat around the hips (the pear-shaped) are at less risk than those who deposit it around the waist (the apple-shaped). Men with a waist larger than 40 inches, and women with waists over 35 inches, are at greater risk than individuals with the same BMI but waists below those limits.
To calculate, click outside the boxes.
1.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults.
Washington, DC: NHLBI, 1998.
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_home.htm
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Last revised: 16 July 2004.