Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a quick and easy way to determine your stored body fat. BMI is a number calculated by using two measurements: weight and height. The number is used to identify your risk for health related diseases based on excess weight.

Because BMI only uses two measurements, it is a cheap and easy-to-use method for physicians and the general public. BMI is also a method used frequently to assess a whole population for obesity.

Although BMI is an indirect method of measuring body fat, it is popular among clinicians. The direct, alternative methods to measure body fatness and obesity are:

• Skin fold thickness measurements
• Underwater weighing
• Bio-electrical impedance
• Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
• Isotope dilution

These methods tend to be more expensive, less accessible or take more time than BMI measurements.

To calculate your BMI (using pounds and inches), divide your weight by your height…