Health Matters! Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Measuring body weight

• Comparing weight relative to height is a quick and easy way of finding out if someone is a healthy weight for their height.
• A useful way to judge if a person is overweight or obese is to calculate their body mass index (BMI). BMI should only be used for adults, i.e. after 18 years of age when growth has stopped.

• www.foodafactoflife.org.uk

Body mass index

• BMI is worked out by:
• weight (kg)
• height (m) x height (m)
• The BMI can be compared with the following ranges:

• kg .
• m2

• Recommended BMI range
• Underweight less than 18.5
• Normal 18.5 - less than 25
• Overweight 25 - less than 30
• Obese 30 - 40
• Very obese over 40

• www.foodafactoflife.org.uk