BMI Full Form

The full form of BMI in medical is Body Mass Index. BMI is a value that is derived from a person's height and mass(weight). It is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body weight, and is represented in the units of kg/m², where mass is measured in kilograms and height is measured in meters. The BMI may be observed using a chart or table which represents BMI as a function of mass and height with the help of contour lines or colours for different BMI categories, and which may use other units for measurements. 

The BMI is the easiest rule of thumb used to broadly categorize a person into underweight, overweight, normal weight, or obese using the body mass (muscle, fat, and bone) and height. The commonly accepted BMI ranges are overweight (25 to 30), underweight (under 18.5kg/m²), normal weight (18.5 to 25), and obese (over 30).

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What is the Long Form of BMI?

BMI HistoryThe form of BMI is Body Mass Index.

The long-form of BMI is Body Mass Index. The modern term Body Mass Index (BMI) for the ratio of human body weight to the square of human body height was published by Ancel Keys and others in a paper published in the July 1972 edition of the Journal of Chronic Disease.

The term Body Mass Index that measures body fat is introduced with the observed increased obesity in a flourishing  Western society. The term BMI is universally accepted in Kg/m², where a person's body weight is measured in kilograms and height is measured in meters.  If BMI is measured in pounds or inches, a conversion factor of 703 (kg/m²)(lb/in²) must be used.  The units are generally omitted when the term BMI is used informally.

BMI provides simple numeric measures of a person’s thinness or thickness, enabling health professionals to discuss health issues more objectively with patients. 

BMI Full Form And Formula

BMI full form is Body Mass Index and it is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by height (in metres squared); alternatively, the body weight (in pounds) multiplied by 703 and divided by height ( in inches squared) may also be used.

Therefore, the BMI formula is given as: 

BMI = Mass /Kg)(Height /m)²Kg/m²

BMI = Mass /lb)(Height /in)²703 Kg/m² +

New BMI Formula

A new BMI formula that accounts for the misrepresentation of the traditional BMI formula for shorter and taller persons has been introduced by Nick Trefethen, a professor of numerical analysis at the University of Oxford.

BMInew  =   1.3 (masskg)/ heightm2.5)

BMI Scalability

BMI full form Body Mass Index is directly proportional to the body mass and inversely proportional to the square of the height. So, if all the body dimensions get doubled, and the mass scales with the cubes of the height, then BMI gets doubled instead of remaining the same. The results of BMI in taller persons is usually high, compared to their actual body fat levels. 

Carl Lavie stated that “ Body Mass Index or BMI charts are feasible tools for determining obesity and body fat in large populations, but they are less reliable for determining fatness in individuals.

BMI Categories

BMI full form Body Mass Index is commonly used to assess how far an individual’s body weight departs from what is normal or desirable for a height of an individual. The body's excess weight or deficiency, may in part, be responsible for body fat (adipose tissue) although other factors such as muscularity also affect BMI significantly.

According to the WHO, a BMI of less than 18.5 is considered as underweight and may indicate malnutrition, an eating disorder, or other health problems, whereas BMI equal to or exceeds 25 is considered overweight and BMI above 30 is considered as obese.

BMI In Children (Aged 2 to 25)

BMI test full form Body Mass Index is used differently for children. It is calculated similarly as for adults but then compared to the typical values for other children of the same age. Rather than comparing against fixed points for overweight and underweight, the BMI is compared against percentile for children of the same sex and age. 

A BMI that is less than the 5th percentile is considered underweight and above the 95th percentile is considered obese. Children with a BMI between 85th and 95th percentile are considered to be overweight.

According to the research done in Britain in 2003, the females between the ages 12 and 16 had a higher BMI in comparison to the males of the same age by 1,0kg/m² on average.

BMI Calculator Full Form

The BMI calculator full form is the Body Mass Index calculator. The BMI measures the person’s leanness or obesity based on their weight and height and is intended to measure tissue mass. BMI is used to classify an adult as overweight, underweight, normal weight, or obese. 

Use the BMI calculator given below to know in which category you fall.

BMI Calculator In US (Imperial) Measurements

Units:  US( Imperial)

Height:  

Weight: 

Limitations of BMI

Although BMI can be used for both men and women, it does have some limitation:

• It may overestimate the body fats in athletes and others who have a muscular build

• It may underestimate body fat in older age and others who have lost muscles.

• Regular measures of BMI cannot accurately estimate the state of a person’s health condition at some stage in life. This includes:

• Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

• Childhood and Adolescence, while a person is still growing

For this reason, BMI calculation is different for both children and teens. This measurement can consider both age and sex in the calculation.