The Body Mass Index
Submitted by Dr Rubin on Thu, 2005-06-30 19:19.
Article | General Health
The body mass index or BMI is a number that correlates your weight with your height. It is valuable because a person who is 150 pounds in
weight 62 inches tall is overweight, while a person who is 150 pounds in weight and 70 inches tall is normal. To calculate the BMI:
1) Multiply your weight in pounds by 703
2) Take that result and divide it by your height in inches
3) Take that result and divide it again by your height in inches
Using these formulas, the 62 inch tall person has a BMI of 27.4 while the 70 inch person has a BMI of 21.5.
A BMI of 20 to 25 is normal. A BMI of over 25 to 30 is overweight. A BMI of over 30 is obese.
A handy calculator for computing the BMI is available at this website: