BMI Calculator
What is the ideal body weight? Can it be determined by looking at the women on the glossy pages of magazines? Or is the “right” weight being able to fit into the same jeans you have had for six years? Unfortunately, while these are what most people consider as guidelines, none of these can really tell what the ideal weight should be.
The body mass index, or BMI, plays a crucial role in a person’s health. It is used to calculate the healthy and appropriate body weight. Think of the body mass index (BMI) as a numbers game. The BMI calculator is the technique that will tell us whether our weight is too low, too much, or beyond too much. This particular numbers game works for everyone, regardless of age groups, body types, and gender.
The BMI calculator obtains a person’s body mass index using his height and weight. It further shows his weight as compared with other people in the same age bracket and height.
The body mass index is considered as a reliable gauge of fatness. Although it does not directly measure the body fat, research showed that is closely linked to direct body fat measures like dual energy x-ray and underwater weighing. Further, BMI calculator is a convenient and cheap means of determining weight categories which may cause health problems.
It should be noted, however, that BMI calculator is a screening tool, and not a diagnostic tool, as others may think. This means that if a person has a high BMI, it does not diagnose the health conditions associated with excess weight. Rather, health care providers need to conduct further assessments on the individual to check if the excess weight can be considered as a health risk to the person. Such assessments may include diet evaluations, family history, other health screenings, physical activity, and measures of skinfold thickness.
Adults, or persons who are 20 years old and above, the result of BMI calculator is interpreted through standard categories of weight status which are alike regardless of age and gender. Such standard categories for adults are as follows: below 18.5 is underweight; from 18.5 to 24.9 is normal; from 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight; and from 30 and above is considered obese.
The association of the BMI numbers obtained through BMI calculators, and body fat is considered to be somewhat strong. However, this link is variable according to race, sex, and age.
The child BMI calculator, as well as the teen BMI calculator work the same way. Before using the BMI calculator, measuring the accurate weight and height measurements is very important. After obtaining these, you are now ready to use the child and teen BMI calculator to get the percentile. The BMI percentile is the one used to determine the BMI number because body mass index is dependent on specific age and sex in children and teens. This is the reason why this techniques is different from that of the adults. The adult BMI calculator is not influenced in any way by a person’s sex or age. This particular method works for those who are 2 years old to 19 years old.
Even if the BMI number may be derived at similarly in children and adults, the interpretation of the BMI number is different for each. The children’s percentiles are determined for the following reasons: body fat is not the same in girls and boys; and the body fat varies with age.
Although the BMI number serves to make us aware of our weights, it is not appropriate to take actions, such as losing weight, based on those numbers alone, and without guidance of a health care professional.