Most of us know about body mass index from a chart at the doctor’s office but are unsure about how it is calculated and what these numbers truly mean. This statistical measurement is used to calculate whether a certain individual may be at an increased risk of developing certain disorders based on their weight information.
Body mass index calculators are available on a variety of websites and through various charts. They are calculated by your height and weight and correlated to give you a corresponding number. This number is considered your body mass index and can determine whether you fall into the category of underweight, overweight or obese.
For each height, there is thought to be a healthy body weight. The body mass index is unable to calculate the percentage of fat within the body but can calculate the so-called “ideal weight” for a person of that height.
There are many aspects that the measure of body mass index does not take into relevance. Body mass index was created in the 1800s to use as a measure of asserting a person’s idea weight – and became popularized through the middle of the 1960s when obesity began to become an epidemic that the country was facing. Body mass index does not take into account the shape of a person.
It has been disclosed that body mass index has the inability to provide the level of health of the individual. There are indeed going to be some people that are considered to be overweight who are of their optimal health and are at risk for no health problems associated to their size or weight.
The ranges for body mass index are as follows:
-Â Underweight Body Mass Index (16.5-18)
-Â Normal Body Mass Index (18-25)
-Â Overweight Body Mass Index (25-30)
-Â Obese Body Mass Index (30+)
-Â Severely Obese (40-45)
-Â Morbidly Obese (45-50)
Statistics have shown that 59% of men, and than 49% of women have a body mass index of over twenty five which would concur that these women and men are overweight. Could this be due to the rising instances of obesity that we are facing on a daily basis? lifestyles are becoming sedentary and we are losing the focus on eating healthy – both of which factors are contributing to the increase rate of obesity in America.
Body mass index is sometimes used when you are applying for medical insurance. If you are considered obese, super obese or hyper obese than you may not be eligible for coverage. If you are eligible for coverage than you may be subject to higher interest rates.
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