BMI
Body mass index
Body mass index or BMI is a simple and widely used method for estimating body fat mass. BMI was developed in the 19th century by the Belgian statistician and anthropometrist Adolphe Quetelet. BMI is an accurate reflection of body fat percentage in the majority of the adult population. It however is less accurate in people such as body builders and pregnant women. A formula combining BMI, age and gender can be used to estimate a person's body fat percentage to an accuracy of 4%.
BMI is calculated by dividing the subject's mass by the square of his or her height, typically expressed either in metric or US "Customary" units:
Metric: BMI = kilograms / meters2
US/Customary and imperial: BMI = lb * 703 / in2
where lb is the subject's weight in pounds and in is the subject's height in inches.
The most commonly used definitions, established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1997 and published in 2000. Some modifications to the WHO definitions have been made by particular bodies. The surgical literature breaks down "class III" obesity into further categories.
- Any BMI > 40 is severe obesity
- A BMI of 40.0–49.9 is morbid obesity
- A BMI of >50 is super obese