body mass index (BMI), an estimate of total body fat. The BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres: weight height2 = BMI. This number, which is central to determining whether an individual is clinically defined as obese, parallels fatness but is not a direct measure of body fat. BMI is less sensitive than using a skinfold caliper or other method to measure body fat indirectly.
Interpretation of BMI numbers is based on weight status groupings, such as underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese, that are adjusted for age and sex. For all adults over age 20, BMI numbers correlate to the same weight status designations. For example, a BMI for adult women and men between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy. A BMI lower than 18.5 is considered underweight, whereas a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 equates with overweight and 30.0 and above with obesity. Definitions of overweight and obesity are more difficult to quantify for children, whose BMI changes with age.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers, Senior Editor.