Full Form Of BMI

What is the full form of BMI?

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. This method helps categorize individuals as obese, overweight, normal weight, and underweight. It is the proportion of an individual’s weight in kg (kilogram) to the square of their height in m (meters). The higher the BMI of a person, the higher is their body fat. 

The calculation method of BMI

Two parameters are taken into consideration while measuring BMI: the height of a person (in meters/inches) and the weight of the person (in kilograms/pounds). The formula to calculate BMI is:

BMI = Weight of the person (in pounds) / [Height of the person (in inches)]2 ✕ 703, where 703 is a conversion factor.

OR

BMI =  Weight of the person (in kilograms) / [Height of the person (in meters)]2

Importance of BMI

• Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician, developed BMI (Quetelet index) in the 1830s.
• It not only gives an overall health calculation of an individual but also warns about the risk of developing chronic conditions in an individual. These conditions include high BP, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, gallstones, and many more.
• A high BMI doesn’t always mean a health threat, instead, the high BMI can signify an individual with a highly muscular built.

Values of BMI

The different values of a BMI define different categories: 

• Less than 18.5: Underweight category
• Between 18.5 to 24.9: Normal category
• Between 25 to 29.9: Overweight category
• In between 30 to 34.9: Obesity category
• In between 35 to 39.9: Severely obese category
• More than 40: Morbid obesity category.

Example

There is a person with a height of 2.5 meters and weight of 75 kilograms, then the BMI of this person is: 

BMI = 75 kg /(2.5)2  = 12

Since, the value of BMI is less than 18.5, the individual falls under the underweight category.