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Check an adult's or child's BMI to find out if they're a healthy weight. It's important to use the right calculator for adults (aged 18 and over) or children and teenagers (aged between 2 and 17). Calculate your BMI for adults. Calculate BMI for children and teenagers.
- Calculate your body mass index (BMI) for adults - NHS
underweight. a healthy weight. overweight. obese. After...
- Calculate your body mass index (BMI) for adults - NHS
Aug 14, 2024 · The BMI chart strictly considers height and weight when determining someone’s overall level of health. This system is designed to get a general read of someone’s disease risk based on how much they weigh. The ranges of BMI include: Below 16: Severely underweight. Below 18.5: Underweight. 18.5-24.9: Healthy weight.
- Angelica Bottaro
- Overview
- BMI chart and calculator
- Does the same chart suit all women?
- Is BMI a good indicator of health?
- Benefits of BMI
- Other ways to measure health
- The bottom line
Doctors use BMI to track your health. But BMI is not an accurate measure of obesity in many people. It may not be accurate for everyone.
Body mass index (BMI) is a tool researchers often use to track obesity at the population level.
Doctors and other healthcare professionals also use it to assess people’s health.
However, the medical community has raised concerns over using BMI as a measurement of obesity and health due to its significant limitations, particularly in assessing the health of Black and Hispanic people, among other populations.
Nevertheless, some health organizations recommend that people stay within a certain BMI range to reduce their risk of disease.
This article explains BMI and how it relates to women’s health.
BMI does not distinguish between men and women. It’s a simple formula that uses height and weight to calculate a number meant to represent a person’s body fat levels.
These numbers fit within the following categories (1):
White, Black, and Hispanic women
BMI does not inherently distinguish between people of different genetic backgrounds. However, as this article will discuss later, different BMI cutoffs have been developed for Asian and South Asian populations. White, Black, and Hispanic women are considered to be at a “healthy weight” when their BMI lies between 18.5 and 24.9. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a woman 65 inches (1.65 meters) tall would fall within a normal BMI range if she weighed 111–150 pounds (50–68 kg) (2). However, women differ in body shape and body composition. For example, research shows that Mexican American women tend to have a different body fat distribution than white or Black women. Additionally, Black women tend to have a higher amount of muscle mass than white or Mexican American women (3). On average, Mexican American women have more body mass in their abdomen. One review found that Mexican American women may have 3–5% more body fat and a larger waist circumference than white or Black women with similar BMIs (3). These differences between women of various ethnicities are based on data averaged over many people. However, a person’s ethnicity does not determine their weight, body fat distribution, proportion of muscle mass, waist circumference, or other body metrics. Every person is different. This means that even if two women have the same BMI, they can have very different regional body fat distribution and muscle mass (3). Furthermore, researchers acknowledge that the link between BMI and mortality risk is much weaker among Black women than among white women (4, 5). This is because BMI is a weaker indicator of body fat levels in Black women and because, on average, Black women have different fat distribution than white women. Plus, BMI is not associated with blood fat levels in Black women as it is in white women (4). Studies have shown that healthcare professionals are more likely to misclassify Black women as having obesity because of their higher percentage of muscle mass (6).
Asian and South Asian women
Research shows that Asian and South Asian populations have more body fat relative to their body weight than white populations and that health conditions like type 2 diabetes occur at lower BMI levels in Asian populations than in white populations (6). This has led to changes in BMI cutoffs for Asian populations. Asian and South Asian women are in the overweight category when their BMI is 23–27.5 and are considered to have obesity when their BMI is over 27.5 (1). However, several different BMI cutoffs for Asian populations have been suggested.
Bodybuilders and athletes
The BMI system often misclassifies women with significant amounts of muscle mass as having overweight or obesity, even though their body fat levels are low. This includes people such as bodybuilders and professional athletes (7, 9, 10, 11). This is because BMI doesn’t differentiate between muscle mass and fat mass, and it is why people shouldn’t use BMI as a measurement of body composition.
Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer and statistician, developed BMI 180 years ago. However, BMI didn’t gain much popularity among researchers until epidemiologist Ancel Keys identified it as an effective way to track body fat proportions at a population level (15).
BMI uses a person’s height and weight to estimate their body fat.
Despite its significant shortcomings, BMI is one of the most effective, easiest, and cheapest options for researchers to track obesity at the population level, which is extremely important for medical research (15).
Additionally, a high BMI is correlated with higher body fat levels, and studies have shown BMI can be an accurate way to determine disease and mortality risk in individuals (19).
People whose BMI classifies them as having obesity have been shown to be at a significantly greater risk of early death and developing chronic diseases, including heart disease and kidney disease, than people within the “normal” BMI range (19, 20, 21, 22, 23).
People whose BMI classifies them as underweight are also more at risk of early death and developing disease (24, 25).
Plus, even though people should not view BMI as a reliable measure of health on its own, healthcare professionals can use BMI in combination with other diagnostic tools to assess a person’s health and monitor their risk of disease.
Other tools include waist circumference and laboratory values such as cholesterol levels.
There are other, more appropriate ways to measure health than BMI.
Here are a few more accurate ways to measure body composition:
•DEXA. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is an accurate way to measure total body fat and muscle mass as well as bone mass. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re interested in a DEXA scan (12, 26).
•Body circumference measurements. Waist circumference is an important indicator of disease risk. A circumference over 35 inches (89 cm) in women on average, or over 31 inches (79 cm) in Asian women, is associated with increased disease risk (27, 28, 29).
•Skinfold calipers. Skinfold calipers are another relatively easy way to measure body fat. However, they can be uncomfortable and do require training before you can take accurate measurements.
There are many other ways to measure body composition, including bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) and air displacement plethysmography. However, these are typically available only in medical settings or in certain fitness centers.
Scientists and healthcare professionals are well aware that BMI has significant flaws. However, it remains an important tool for assessing public health at the population level.
Individuals can also use it as a general health indicator, though this may not be accurate for some people. A BMI of 18.5–24.9 is considered normal or healthy for most women.
Even though healthcare professionals can use BMI as a screening tool, they shouldn’t use it as a method to evaluate a person’s body fat levels or health status (32).
Keep in mind that health is much more than body weight or body composition. To properly assess your overall health and well-being, a healthcare professional should consider many factors, including your blood test results, diet, activity levels, and sleep habits.
- Jillian Kubala, MS, RD
Jul 12, 2024 · Your BMI will fit into one of 5 bands: under 18.5 – This is described as underweight. between 18.5 and 24.9 – This is described as the ‘healthy range’. between 25 and 29.9 – This is described as overweight. between 30 and 39.9 – This is described as obesity. 40 or over – This is described as severe obesity. Use our chart to find ...
The BMI chart is interactive, meaning that you can use the form to calculate your BMI and enable a marker to be positioned over the chart. Note that the table of information below is only suitable for adult men and women and not for children or those under the age of 18. Units: Height (e.g. 183): cm. Weight (e.g. 63): kg. height (cm) 152.4. 154.9.
Height (cm)Height (cm)152.4154.9weightweightunderweightunderweight43.1kg95lb191845.4kg100lb201947.6kg105lb2120Nov 30, 2023 · Summary. BMI is an estimate of body composition, based on weight and height. A moderate BMI for females is usually 18.5–24.9. People who know their weight and height can use a BMI calculator to ...
People also ask
What is a “healthy weight” on a BMI chart?
What is a good BMI for a woman?
What is a BMI chart?
What is a moderate BMI?
How does BMI relate to women's health?
What is a normal BMI?
Nov 28, 2023 · underweight. a healthy weight. overweight. obese. After getting your result, you may be asked to measure your waist. This can help you understand if you are carrying too much weight around your tummy. How your BMI is calculated. dividing your weight in kilograms: 70 ÷ 2.89 = 24.22.
