Information On Obtaining Body Mass Index

Your Body Mass Index, or BMI is a common calculation to determine your overall health. There could be health risks for you if your BMI falls in the overweight, obese or underweight categories. Knowing your BMI is the first step in reducing your risk of certain health risks and diseases.

BMI Calculation

According to Fitness.com, the BMI is a measurement of your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters. BMI "...is considered a more reliable measurement than simply your height and weight alone." The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has two Body Mass Index calculators. One is for adults ages 20 and over. The second is for children and teens.

Results

If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are considered underweight. If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, you are considered a normal or a healthy weight. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, you are considered overweight. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, you are considered obese. The CDC recommends you discuss any results that are out of the normal range with your physician. The BMI is only a screening tool, not a diagnostic one.

Benefits

There are many benefits to knowing your BMI so that you can take measures to change it if yours is too high or too low. The Pennsylvania Department of Health asserts that "being overweight can lead to illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, breathing problems, joint problems and depression." In addition, if you are underweight and your BMI is too low, this can "cause harm to your heart, kidneys, muscles and bones, and may lead to anemia."

Signifcance

Once you have calculated your BMI, you should discuss the results with your primary care physician. Alternatively, your primary care physician can calculate your BMI and discuss the results with you. Once you know your BMI, you should create a plan that includes a healthier diet and physical activity if necessary. The CDC recommends "...150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week."

Warning

The Mayo Clinic warns that "BMI may underestimate obesity in women" between ages 20 and 33 years of age. Researchers discovered this problem when they followed up the BMI calculations with body scans. Based on BMI calculations, only 37 percent of women were found to be obese.

However, body scans revealed that as many as 63 percent of the women were actually obese. This concerns health professionals who worry that "Many young women with obesity are erroneously being deemed 'normal weight' or 'overweight' and therefore aren't getting appropriate health advice."