Laparoscopic Bariatric Specialists at Piyavate Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand

Do you know your BMI?
Body Mass Index or BMI is calculated to determine health risks as it relates to your body weight and height. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters. A BMI of 19 to 24.9 is considered a healthy weight. A BMI 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; 30 to 39.9 obese and 40 very obese.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator
Calculate your Body Mass Index. This tool employs the results of your BMI calculations and studies on BMI and Risk of Death to predict percentage chance of death related to obesity.

ENTER YOUR WEIGHT:		lbs.
YOUR HEIGHT:		ft. in.
YOUR BMI:
Based on your BMI, you are estimated to be at an % increased risk of dying as compared to a person with a BMI of 21.

Analysis
A body mass index (BMI) of 27.8 for men and 27.3 for women is the cutoff point for obesity used in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). The National Academy of Sciences' diet and health report suggests that a BMI of 22 to 27 is normal for persons 45 to 54 years of age a BMI of 23 to 28 is normal for persons 55 to 65 years of age a BMI of 24 to 29 is normal for persons over 65 years old (From the Department of Health and Human Services Consensus Conference on Obesity, April,1 1992).

Body Mass Index (BMI) has been the medical standard for obesity measurement since the early 1980's. Government researchers developed the system to take an individual's height into account in weight measurement. For example, a woman weighs 150 pounds. Is she obese? That's hard to determine without determining her height. The answers would be different for women who were 5' 0" inches tall, 5" 4", and 5' 11".

Examine calculations for someone weighing 155 lbs. at three different heights:

155 pounds, 5' 0" (60"). 155 x 700 = 108,500
108,500/60 = 1808.33
1808.33/60 = 30.14
155 pounds, 5' 4" (64"). 155 x 700 = 108,500
108,500/64 = 1695.31
1695.31/64 = 26.49
155 pounds, 5' 11" (71"). 155 x 700 = 108,500
108,500/71 = 1528.17
1528.17/71 = 21.52

Based on these conventions, a woman who is 5' 0" and weighs 155 pounds, has a BMI of 30.14, is obese. A woman who is 5' 4" and weighs 155 pounds, has a BMI of 26.45, is overweight, but not obese. The woman who is 5' 11" and weighs 155 pounds is in the healthy BMI range.