Have you ever wondered if your child is growing up healthy? Are they able to stand next to their peers? Is their health on the right track? The answer to all these questions can be solved by a BMI calculator.
Now what is a body mass index (BMI)? In simple words it is a BMI calculator tool is used to measure the body size with reference to their height and weight. The chart divides the population into 4 different categories i.e underwight, health, overweight and obese. BMI is calculated in two different ways for standard metric units. It simply divides the weight of an individual by the square of their height in meters
But for imperial units (pounds) it’s the weight in pounds multiplied by 703 and divided by their height by inches squared The result is then used in units of kg/m². To avoid the unnecessary math a simple BMI calculator can be used.
How to read your results
Now you have your result in your hand using a BMI calculator, what to do with them? In order to simplify the chart for laymen the results are divided into 4 major categories
Underweight – if an individual’s BMI is under 18.9, then they can be considered underweight. A doctor’s consultation is suggested in order to diagnose any underlying issues .
Healthy- if an individual’s BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9. they are considered healthy
Overweight – of an individual’s BMI falls between 25 and 29.9 – they are considered overweight and are at risk of developing various diseases
Obese- of an individual’s BMI is above 30 they are considered obese and ARe suggested to consult with a doctor to mitigate the risk of developing various diseases.
It is important to note that BMI does not account for the body composition of an individual. So two people with the same BMI may have different body compositions.
Why is BMI important
BMI was developed by Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetlet in the 1830s under the name Quetelet’s index. for large populations. It was initially used in 1972 by Ancel Keys. This chart helps to look into an indicator of an individual’s health.
An obese or overweight person may suffer from various diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. While an underweight individual may be suffering from anemia, malnutrition and osteoporosis. This may also give an insight to a person’s mental health as many mental health issues result in drastic changes in the human body. which can be easily shown with the changes in the BMI. While it is possible to calculate BMI by ourselves, many prefer a BMI calculator tool to make it easier.
BMI and children
The BMI chart looks quite different for children, this is due to various factors which impact the outcome of a calculation. As a result, the chart is modified to result in percentile instead of kg/m². These factors include
- The gender of the child as girls and boys grow at different speeds
- Either gender has different amount of fat deposits at different points
- The data changes regularly with the increase of height
- Data from children Changes within weeks of it being taken.
Teens are considered similar to adults and often the BMI system works for them
How doctors use BMI
The BMI calculator is not an accurate tool to diagnose problems, but it can be used to screen problems in individuals.
If someone’s result are low or high, the doctors then need to take a look at the following factors-
- Evaluation of diet and physical activity
- If the individuals has any history of cardiovascular disease or any other genetically related diseases
- skinfold thickness measurement, which is used to indicate the fat percentage of adults and children.
- Recommend any other medical screenings, if needed
- Doctors or medical professionals can make appropriate diet and exercise recommendations based on the results.
Downsides of having extra weight
According to doctors from various reputed universities, people who have extra weight may be at risk.
- High blood pressure, high triglyceride levels and high cholesterol.
- It lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol levels.
- More likely to have diabetes
- Increased chances of hypertension
- Increasing the risk of stroke and heart disease
- It may also lead osteoarthritis
- Sleep apnea
- and may result in increased chances of cancer
In children as well, increased weight can cause serious damage in the long run in addition to asthma and low self esteem, leading to serious mental health issues.
Benefits of a healthy weight
In addition to reducing the chances of various diseases, maintaining a healthy weight will help in increasing the lifespan of an individual and offers additional benefits.
- Increasing healthy sleep patterns.
- Lesser joint and muscle pains
- Increase in ability to join more activities with increased energy.
- Reducing burden on the heart and improving regulations of bodily functions
Other Ways to define a healthy body
BMI calculator is a useful tool in knowing the health of a body but it cannot distinguish between muscle and body fat.
For example, a person with a lot of muscles may be categorised as obese by the chart because their BMI falls above 30. But this does not state that they are unhealthy.
In addition, the risk of health issues is increased with the people with fat on their middle- known as visceral fat- rather than those who have fat around their hips.
There are other ways to measure the body sixe like, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio. And body composition, which measures and compares body fat and lean body mass. These systems to measure the human body focus more on the fat amount and its distribution in the body.
Along with BMI, these different measures help the doctors a make a complete sketch of the state on individuals body
Takeaway
BMI calculator can be a useful screening tool for predicting certain health risks. However, people should take in other factors such as- physical activity and body fat percentage. Still, the BMI Chart is good place to start if anyone wants to have look at the state of the well being.
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