Body mass index (BMI)

Body mass index (BMI)
A key index for relating body weight to height. The BMI is a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in meters (m) squared. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now defines normal weight, overweight, and obesity according to the BMI rather than the traditional height/weight charts. Since the BMI describes the body weight relative to height, it correlates strongly (in adults) with the total body fat content. Overweight is a BMI of 27.3 % or more for women and 27.8 % or more for men, according to the NIH. Obesity is a BMI of 30 and above, according to the NIH. (A BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight.) Some very muscular people may have a high BMI without undue health risks.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Body mass index — The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet index, is a statistical measurement which compares a person s weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the percentage of body fat, it is a useful tool to estimate a healthy body weight based on …   Wikipedia

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  • Body Mass Index —   [ bɔdi mæs , englisch ], Abkürzung BMI, Maß für das Verhältnis von Körpergewicht zu Körpergröße beim Menschen. Der BMI wird berechnet, indem man das Körpergewicht (in kg) durch das Quadrat der Körpergröße (in Metern) dividiert. Bei Erwachsenen… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • body mass index — noun a measure of someone s weight in relation to height; to calculate one s BMI, multiply one s weight in pounds and divide that by the square of one s height in inches; overweight is a BMI greater than 25; obese is a BMI greater than 30 • Syn:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • body mass index — ▪ medicine  an estimate of total body fat. The BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres: weight height2 = BMI. This number, which is central to determining whether an individual is clinically defined as… …   Universalium

  • body mass index — noun a measure of body mass that is calculated as weight divided by height squared; used to define nutritional status in relation to health risk. Abbrev.: BMI …  

  • body mass index — (BMI)    a measure of fatness used in medicine and health. The BMI is equal to a person s mass ( weight ) M (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height H (in meters): BMI = M/H2. If measurements are made in traditional English units …   Dictionary of units of measurement

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