Body Mass Index or BMI is a simple way to measure body fat based on a person’s height and weight. It is often used to determine a person’s health and fitness status. It is also used to screen for weight categories that serve as indicators for potential health risks. BMI was originally developed by the Belgian statistician, Adolphe Quetelet, between 1830 and 1850. The mathematical formula to calculate BMI is Weight (in kilograms) Height (in meters)2. The standards are the same for men and women.
According to the National Institutes of Health, BMI classifies weight as follows:
Below 18.5: Underweight
18.5–24.9: Normal weight
25–29.9: Overweight
30 and over: Obese
There are over 1 billion overweight adults in the world and at least 300 million of those are obese. Obesity has clearly become a global epidemic. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for serious diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and cancer. Over the last 20 years, there has been a...
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Setia, M. S., Quesnel-Vallee, A., Abrahamowicz, M., Tousignant, P., & Lynch, J. (2009). Convergence of body mass index of immigrants to the Canadian-born population: Evidence from the National Population Health Survey (1994–2006). European Journal of Epidemiology, 24(10), 611–623.
Stigler, S. M. (1986). Adolphe Quetelet. Encyclopedia of statistical sciences. New York: Wiley.
Suggested Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/
Novotny, R., Williams, A. E., Vinoya, A. C., & Vogt, T. M. (2008). Abstract C-A4-05: US immigration is associated with obesity among Asian-Pacific hotel workers in Hawaii. Clinical Medicine & Research, 6(3–4), 122. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://www.clinmedres.org/cgi/content/abstract/6/3-4/122-a
Park, Y., Neckerman, K. M., Quinn, J., Weiss, C., & Rundle, A. (2008). Place of birth, duration of residence, neighborhood immigrant composition and body mass index in New York City. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, 19. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2373307/. Accessed April 6, 2008.
World Health Organization. (2004). Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/facts/obesity/en/
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Carr, C.H. (2012). Body Mass Index. In: Loue, S., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5659-0_89
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