BMI & Obesity – Measuring Lean Body Mass & Body Fat Mass

The formula to calculate Body Mass Index or BMI -- a polite abstraction created by CDC epidemiologists as a way of assessing the overweight-- is a simple ratio of body weight (or mass) relative to height -- weight divided by height squared.

BMI chart calculations closely correlate with body density and thickness measuring lean body mass and body fat mass to determine if a male, female or child is at a healthy weight, is overweight or considered obese.

This index is a good indicator of body fat content and was devised as a more technically accurate and politically correct scale for describing human girth, allowing taller people more avoirdupois. It is also used to test a person’s risk for future health problems and to determine the risk of cardiovascular disease as a result of excess body weight.

With the availability of BMI statistics, CDC researchers may scrupulously avoid publication of real (and more shocking) bodyweight statistics, such as an average female adult bodyweight of 163 -- whose Body Mass Index, an abstruse 27.5, is quite meaningless to the lay reader.

• An adult with a BMI of under 25.0 is said to be "normal"
• An index of 25-29.9 denotes the overweight condition
• Over 30.0 is an indication of obesity
• Morbid obesity is reflected by a BMI of 40.0+

Index statistics also conceal other startling aspects of the obesity crisis:

• 3.8 million Americans weigh over 300 pounds
• While 400,000 people (mostly men) fall into a super massive category, which extends beyond even morbid obesity -- 400+ pounds!

To convey the full gravity of our nationwide obesity crisis, the IHRSA/ASD Obesity/Weight Control Report aligns with CDC bodyweight data, not only reflecting the normal-overweight-obese condition as calculated by Body Mass Index, but the more actionable statistics of raw bodyweight.

The IHRSA/ASD Obesity/Weight Control Trend Report is available on the website of American Sports Data, Inc. Other expositions relative to Body Mass Index written by Harvey Lauer may also be found on the site.