Find out if you're obese
BMI is "Body Mass Index" and it's a measure of your weight in relationship to your height. It's the generally accepted method of defining obesity in both children and adults. Obesity is the accumulation of excess body fat and is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.
It's easy to get your BMI, just use one of the BMI calculators below. Enter your weight and height and the calculator will do the rest.
What does your BMI number mean?
The BMI is calculated in exactly the same way for children and adults but the interpretation of the BMI number is different.
For Adults
For adults (defined as men or women over the age of 20) the BMI definitions below were established by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This BMI Calculator for Adults is provided by the U.S. Department of Health.
A BMI less than 18.5 is underweight
A BMI in the range 18.5–24.9 is normal weight
A BMI in the range 25–29.9 is overweight
A BMI in the range 30.0–34.9 is class 1 obesity
A BMI in the range 35.0–39.9 is class 2 obesity
A BMI of 40.0 or greater is class 3 obesity
For Children
For children (defined as girls and boys in the age range 2-20) the interpretation of the BMI number depends on age and gender. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has published tables that give the BMI interpretation for children.
It's important to realize that in child obesity is indicated at lower BMI numbers than in adults. For example, a 12 year old boy is considered obese if his BMI is over 24, and for a 12 year old girl the BMI number for obesity is 24.5
This BMI Calculator for Children and Teens is provided by the CDC and gives the interpretation of the BMI number for children by age and gender.
Content written and posted by Ken Abbott abbottsystems@gmail.com