Body mass index: Encyclopedia II - Body mass index - Recommended BMI thresholds

Body mass index - Recommended BMI thresholds

Given the reservations detailed above concerning the limitations of the BMI as a diagnostic tool for individuals, the following are common definitions of BMI thresholds:

For Males:

• Underweight: less than 20 (<20)
• Ideal: greater than or equal to 20 but less than 25 (>=20 but <25)
• Overweight: greater than or equal to 25 but less than 30 (>=25 but <30)
• Obese: greater than or equal to 30 (>=30)

For Females:

• Underweight: less than 18 (<18)
• Ideal: greater than or equal to 18 but less than 23 (>=18 but <23)
• Overweight: greater than or equal to 23 but less than 30 (>=23 but <30)
• Obese: greater than or equal to 30 (>=30)

These recommended distinctions along the linear scale may vary from time to time and country to country, making global, longitudinal surveys problematic. In 1998, the US National Institutes of Health brought US definitions into line with WHO guidelines, lowering the normal/overweight cut-off from BMI 27.8 to BMI 25. This had the effect of redefining approximately 30 million Americans, previously "technically healthy" to "technically overweight". The WHO uses the term "pre-obese" where the USA uses "overweight". It also recommends lowering the normal/overweight threshold for South East Asian body types to around BMI 23, and expects further revisions to emerge from clinical studies of different body types.

The new cut-off BMI index for obesity in Asians is 27.5 compared with the traditional WHO figure of 30. An Asian adult with a BMI of 23 or greater is now considered overweight and the ideal normal range is 18.5-22.9. Singapore BMI Cut-offs

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Recommended BMI thresholds", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki