Body mass index (BMI) is a method that can be used to estimate whether you are a healthy weight.  Being overweight puts strain on your heart and can lead to serious health problems.  These problems include Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, varicose veins and other chronic conditions.  More than 300,000 lives could be saved in the U.S. each year if everyone maintained a healthy weight.

BMI assesses your weight compared to your height.  BMI equals weight in kilograms divided by height squared in meters.

Wt. (Kg)/Ht2 (M)

To convert weight from pounds (lb) to kilograms (kg):  lb/2.2 = kg

To convert height from inches (in) to meters (m):  inches x 2.5/100 = m

For example:  130 lb. individual who is 5'5"

130/2.2 = 59

65 x 2.5/100 = 1.625

1.625 = 2.7

59/2.7 = 21.8 BMI

What does your BMI mean?

If your score is:

20 to 25:  You're doing something right.  People in this group live the longest.

26 to 30:  You're overweight, and have an increased risk of developing high levels of blood cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and blood insulin.

Above 30:  Consider yourself obese.  That makes you more susceptible to diabetes, coronary artery disease, cancer and diseases of the digestive tract.

Below 20:  You're fine....if you're in good physical shape and you aren't suffering from disease - such as cancer - that's causing you to be underweight.

Body composition
Body composition refers to the percentage of body weight that is fat and its measurement is based on the assumption that body weight can be broken down into lean body weight and fat weight.  Evaluation of body composition typically is included as part of a health screening.  It is well established that excess body fat is harmful to health.  Obesity (too much body fat) is one of the risk factors for heart disease.

Underwater weighing is the gold standard measure for asessing body composition.  Skinfold thickness measurements correlate fairly well with underwater weighing.  An error of 3 percent in either direction is generally figured into the skinfold measurement.  The principle behind skinfold measurement is that approximately one-half of stored body fat is located under the skin and related closely to overall fat.

In terms of health:
Males should have less than 25 percent body fat.

Females should have less than 32 percent body fat.

The best way to affect body composition is through lifestyle - a low-fat diet and a regular aerobic exercise program.

Exceptions:
BMI is not always an accurate way to determine whether you need to lose weight. Here are some exceptions:

• Body builders:  Because muscle weighs more than fat, people who are unusually muscular may have a high BMI.
• Elderly:  In the elderly it is often better to have a BMI between 25 and 27, rather than under 25.  If you are older than 65, for example, a slightly higher BMI may help protect you from osteoporosis.
• Children:  While an alarming number of children are obese, do not use this BMI calculator for evaluating a child.  Talk to your child's doctor about what an appropriate weight is for his or her age.

Other methods
Doctors use a few different methods to determine whether you are overweight.  Your doctor may also take your waist circumference and your waist-to-hip ratio into consideration.

What now?
Find out more about blood cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels and diabetes, as well as obesity coronary heart disease, cancer and diseases of the digestive tract by visiting Baptist Regional's online Health Encyclopedia.

Need a physician?
The Baptist Regional Medical Center Physician Referral online service can help you find a physician.  Search online or call (606) 523-8547.

 Back to Getting Screened