What is BMI?
BMI is a formula based on a value calculated by a person’s height and weight. The value of the calculation will indicate if a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight or suffer from obesity. BMI is an English acronym for Body Mass Index.
What is the meaning of BMI?
The Body Mass Index is used mainly to promote public health by estimating the approximately values of a person’s body fat and to indicate if the person may be at risk of developing lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
BMI is also used to help indicate if a person might suffer from underweight and therefore have a greater possibility of developing respiratory diseases, weakened immune system and osteoporosis.
BMI categories:
BMI under 18,5 = Underweight
BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 = Normal range
BMI between 25 and 29.9 = Overweight
BMI over 30 = Obesity
The BMI values are estimated for adults over the age of 17. BMI for children is calculated by a different formula. The BMI values are only indicative and tell us very little about a person’s health condition.