Body_Mass_Index

							Title:
Body Mass Index

Word Count:
350

Summary:
A person_s body mass index is a num
ber calculated based on their heigh
t and weight. It is used for a comp
arative analysis of people with sim
ilar heights. The body mass index i
s a brainchild of a Belgian statist
ician and mathematician named Adolp
he Quatelet who created the BMI som
etime from1830 to 1850. To calcula
te the BMI, divide the person_s wei
ght in kilograms by their height in
  meters squared.
Keywords:
Body Mass Index, Calculate Body Mas
s Index, Body Mass Index Definition
, Body Mass Index For Teen

Article Body:
A person_s body mass index is a num
ber calculated based on their heigh
t and weight. It is used for a comp
arative analysis of people with sim
ilar heights. The body mass index i
s a brainchild of a Belgian statist
ician and mathematician named Adolp
he Quatelet who created the BMI som
etime from1830 to 1850. To calcula
te the BMI, divide the person_s wei
ght in kilograms by their height in
 meters squared.

The Body Mass Index has been in use
 as a medical benchmark for obesity
 and is the statistical estimate fo
r Adiposity. It is also the standar
d employed by the WHO (World Health
 Organization) for its obesity stat
istics.

This number was introduced to the p
ublic through the government_s effo
rts to promote sanguinity, nutritio
nal knowledge, and healthy eating h
abits. This simple statistic has re
ndered itself very important since
it can adapt itself to continuous c
hanges inherent in a community and
can indicate the economic developme
nt on a nutritional basis.

The BMI was promoted as a simple ru
le of thumb that any individual of
a particular height can calculate a
t home. It might not be the best po
ssible indicator with regard to wei
ght and health, as it can be unreli
able in children, athletes, and the
 elderly.

It_s quite simple to get an idea fo
r the approximate type of body weig
ht using the BMI. Roughly, an indiv
idual with BMI of 19 or less can be
 classified as underweight and is l
iable to suffer from malnutrition a
nd other such eating disorders. A
BMI of 25 is considered overweight
and a BMI of 30 would classify as e
xtremely obese.

The US National Health and Nutritio
n Examination Survey reported that
about 59 % of American men and 49%
of American women are overweight an
d over 2% of men and 4% of women we
re reported to be extremely obese.

These alarming reports only prove t
he BMI to be a more critical in Ame
rica today rather than just an easy
 index for a self- check. It is to
be noted that the BMI is not a full
y reliable statistic by itself and
hence health and nutrition recommen
dations to an individual cannot be
made using just the BMI.