During pregnancy and lactation, a woman's body composition changes, so using BMI is not appropriate.įor more information, visit Health Canada's Canadian Guidelines for Body Weight Classification in Adults. Those with a lower muscle mass, such as children who have not completed their growth or the elderly who may be losing some muscle mass may have a lower BMI. BMI may not be appropriate for people, particularly children, with certain health conditions. It is not able to differentiate between body fat and muscle mass. BMI is a useful measurement of growth for most people, but it is only an estimate. Those with a higher muscle mass, such as athletes, may have a high BMI but not be at greater health risk. Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated using a person's weight and height.

This is because BMI does not take into account whether the weight is carried as muscle or fat, just the number. Who shouldn't use a BMI calculatorīMI is not used for muscle builders, long distance athletes, pregnant women, the elderly or young children. Stanford Medicine Childrens Health BMI, or body mass index, uses weight and height to calculate weight status for adults.

The formula is BMI = kg/m 2 where kg is a person’s weight in kilograms and m 2 is their height in metres squared.Ī BMI of 25.0 or more is overweight, while the healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9.

Body Mass Index is a simple calculation using a person’s height and weight. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women.

Bmi women's calculator