The Body Mass Index (BMI) is an international standard recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) for calculating a person's corpulence, i.e. the distribution of their weight in relation to their size.
With the BMI, it is possible to tell if a person is overweight, or, on the contrary, is too thin. This index therefore makes it possible to detect possible health risks due to a person's corpulence.
The Body Mass Index (BMI) makes it possible to calculate very precisely the corpulence of a person, that is to say its size, its overweight, its obesity or its thinness. BMI is a more accurate indicator than weight because the same weight in different people does not necessarily correspond to obesity or thinness in these same people. The size indeed specifies their general corpulence. The BMI can detect excess body fat which can have negative consequences on health.
The formula for calculating the BMI for an adult woman or man (18 to 65 years old) is:Weight (kg) / Height² (m). The result obtained determines the level of corpulence:
For children aged 2 to 18, the result of the Body Mass Index (BMI) is not interpreted as that of adults and varies between sexes, while the calculation formula is the same. The BMI is reported in the child's health record on what is called a "corpulence curve" whose unit is the percentile. When the BMI is above the 97th percentile, the child is considered obese. If it is below the 3rd percentile, the child is underweight.
The BMI indicates, in particular to health professionals, an estimate of a person's body fat and therefore the health risks associated with body build. Above all, the BMI makes it possible to estimate the risks of diseases, in particular those related to overweight such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, respiratory problems and certain types of cancer.
The Body Mass Index is a simple tool, which does not require expenses to implement it, and it is the best indicator to measure overweight and obesity, factors of many diseases. For example, a BMI over 30 indicates an increased risk of cancer, joint problems, infertility and mortality. At this level, it is estimated that life expectancy can be reduced by 2 to 4 years. BMI makes it easy to identify people at risk and track them and help them lose weight for their health.
Like any indicator, the BMI has its limits. Indeed, it does not apply to everyone in the same way. For example, it has been shown that the interpretation of BMI in terms of health risks is not the same for people aged 65 and over. Similarly, BMI is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Weight gain during pregnancy is necessarily evaluated according to the woman's corpulence at the start, and not according to a standard that concerns the entire population such as the Body Mass Index.
