Even though it has some limitations, knowing and learning more about your BMI can help in leading a healthy lifestyle. Also, the BMI is one of the many tools that help healthcare providers classify weight type, which includes Underweight, Optimum Range, Overweight and Obesity Its core calculation is based on the BMI formula, which involvesĭividing your weight (in kilograms) by the square of your height (in metres). Body Mass Index, alongside other tools, can assist health care providers in assessing an individual’s health-related risk factors and overall health condition. It is a measurement that incorporates a person’s body weight and height to calculate the total amount of body fat they Losing a small amount of weight, 5 to 10%, and maintaining this weight loss can have a significant positive impact on your overall health.Body Mass Index (BMI) is a popular tool used for health-related assessments across various healthcare centres.

Whatever your weight there may be changes you want to make to improve your health, making a few small sustainable changes to your lifestyle can improve your health. People from these backgrounds may be at higher risk of health problems at a lower BMI than people from other ethnicities.įor a lot of people, achieving a BMI within the ‘healthy range’ is not realistic.

The BMI ranges are slightly different for people from South Asian, Chinese, African-Caribbean and black African backgrounds. Results of 25 and over are described as a ‘higher BMI’ and may be just one of the many reasons some of us are at higher risk of some health conditions, including type 2 diabetes.

have lost weight because you’ve been ill or not eating very much.

Use our chart to find out if you are over or under weight using your BMI result

40 or over – This is described as severe obesity.

between 30 and 39.9 – This is described as obesity.

between 25 and 29.9 – This is described as overweight.

between 18.5 and 24.9 – This is described as the ‘healthy range’.

under 18.5 – This is described as underweight.

As such a BMI calculation is not a suitable measure for some people including children and young people under 18, pregnant women and athletes. Sex and other factors which can impact your weight can also lead to an inaccurate reading. Just because someone has a ‘normal BMI’ does not mean that they are healthy.īMI doesn’t take account of body composition, for example, muscle, fat, bone density. Within a population there will always be people who are at the extremes (have a high BMI or low BMI).Ī high or low BMI may be an indicator of poor diet, varying activity levels, or high stress. BMI charts are mainly used for working out the health of populations rather than individuals. What is body mass index (BMI)?īMI is used to categorise people’s weight. It’s difficult to know what an individual’s ideal weight should be. The things that have happened to us include: There are many things that affect our weight and health. These include the things that have happened to us and the things that we do.

Women's health bmi calculator