The Body Mass Index or BMI is a method of classifying whether an individual is overweight, underweight, obese or normal weight based only on their height and weight and is not gender specific. To calculate your BMI you can use our online BMI calculator.
A BMI of less than 18.5 is underweight, normal weight is between 18.5 to 25, overweight is between 25 to 30 and obese is greater than 30.
BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. The mathematical formula as under:
BMI = weight (kg) / height square (m²)
Health is not only affected by how much body fat you have but also by where the fat is situated in the body (for example hips, waist etc.). Most people store body fat in two distinct places; around their middle (apple shape) or around their hips (pear shape). It is generally accepted that carrying extra weight around your middle increases health risks associated with obesity, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. However, overall obesity is still a significant health risk. The recognition of central obesity is very important as lifestyle intervention is likely to provide significant health benefits.
| Male | Female | Vascular Health Risk Based on WHR |
| less than 0.9 | less than 0.80 | Low Risk |
| 0.9 to 0.99 | 0.8 to 0.89 | Moderate Risk |
| 1.0+ | 0.9+ | High Risk |