BMI (a body mass index) bmi chart for a woman is a value stemming from the weight and height of a person, which categorizes a person’s mass. Specifically, BMI is body mass in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters and the BMI value is expressed in a unit of kg/m². BMI was created at the beginning of the XIX century as a tool for measuring the average weight of people. Nowadays, it is still the most simple and inexpensive device for determining the weight category. It allows for estimating the serious health conditions, especially obesity or underweight, and serves as an indicator for further examination of a patient’s health. BMI calculators and tables may be used by everyone and the tables or charts available on the Internet are clear enough to categorize oneself, however, doctors also make great use of BMI while assessing the health condition of adults as well as young patients.
BMI indicator is used for determining the category to which a person belongs according to the mass/height relation.
The 4 main categories include underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese.
The WHO presents the detailed ranges of values that suit given categories:
very severely underweight: BMI less than 15
severely underweight: BMI of 15-16
underweight: BMI of 16-18,5
healthy weight (normal): BMI of 18,5-25
overweight: BMI of 25-30
class 1 obesity (moderately obese): BMI of 30-35
class 3 obesity (morbidly obese): BMI over 40
BMI defines the anthropometric weight and height characteristics and categorizes them into groups. Generally speaking, the body mass index represents a person’s fatness level. The most important asset of BMI is that it allows for determining people who are severely underweight and overweight because these are very serious health conditions that often require medical help.
Generally, there is one method of calculating BMI for adults and children.
Below, we illustrate the calculation of BMI for people using such measurement units as meters/kilograms and inches/pounds.
Using meters and kilograms as units for measurements
Formula: [weight given in kilograms] / [height given in meters]²
As shown, in this system, the BMI formula is calculated by weight in kilograms divided by squared height in meters.
Usually, height is measured in centimeters, so it needs to be converted to meters.
For example: weight 70kg, height 172cm (1,72m)
BMI = 70 ÷ (1,72)²
BMI = 23,66
Formula: [weight in pounds (lb)] / [height in inches]² x 703
BMI formula is calculated by dividing weight in lbs by squared height in inches and multiplying by 703.
For example: weight 165lbs, height 66″
BMI = 165 ÷ (66)² x 703
BMI = 26,63
Generally, the BMI ranges and categories for women and men are identical. So, BMI of 18-25 is a range showing what is a good BMI for men and what is a good BMI for a woman? Any deviations (lower or higher BMI), should make men and women think whether their lifestyle is healthy or they need to make some changes in diet and exercise.
However, what distinguishes men and women is the body fat range. Too much excess fat leads to type 2 diabetes, stroke, or heart diseases while too little fat is a sign of malnutrition. The right percentage of fat in the body helps the vitamin and mineral intake, regulates body temperature, protects the organs, and most importantly, is a source of energy.
