Benefits of BMI Calculator

BMI Calculator for Children and Teens

BMI or body mass index ( BMI) is one method to determine the fat percentage of a person's body. It considers the person's height. BMI is calculated by analyzing the person's weight as well as height. In teenagers and children BMI is used to find out if a child teenager is at a healthy weight overweight, or obese. A child's body fat changes with age. Girls and boys differ in their amount of body fat when they get older. This is why BMI for children, also known as BMI-for-age includes gender and the age of the child.

This calculator gives an estimation of BMI for children aged 5-18 years old. It will tell you whether your child is in the weight range or is at an ideal weight, at risk of becoming overweight, or has already become overweight.

Body Mass Index, or BMI is a vital indicator that is correlated to the person's height and weight. It's the weight of a person as kilograms divided into the square of his/her size in meters. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) has defined BMI to be the deciding factor to determine if you are overweight, underweight overweight or overweight. Hence, knowing your BMI is a very important aspect in maintaining a healthy body as well as an optimal fitness level. A healthy BMI can also help you to keep heart issues as well as type 2 diabetes and hypertension under control. A normal BMI is a sign that you are being in the ideal weight range. BMI is in essence a numerical measure of tissues mass, which comprises bone, fat, and muscles of an individual.

However, if an athlete or a generally energetic person, your weight could be elevated not due to fat, but due to muscle. Muscle is denser than fat. The greater density of muscle can mean more weight and hence, greater BMI. In this case, it is not unhealthy as it doesn't carry the associated health risks which an elevated BMI reads.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

1. How to use BMI calculator?
   To determine your BMI to calculate your BMI, follow these steps:
   Enter your weight and select the unit (kilograms or pounds).
   Enter your height in inches and feet.
   Press calculate.
   If you wish to calculate once more, press recalculate.
2. How do you calculate BMI measured?
   BMI is calculated by dividing a person's body weight by the square of his/her tallness in meters. In the example above, if your weight is 60 kilograms with a height of 5'3 then your BMI could be calculated as follows: 60 / 2.61 (1.6 * 1.6) (5 feet 3 inches is roughly 1.6 meters)This gives us an BMI reading at 22.9.
3. Why is BMI calculation essential for your well-being?
   The National Institute of Health (NIH) has now established BMI to be the deciding factor to determine if you are overweight, underweight and overweight or obese. If you are not into the normal-weight category then your health is at risk. Let's suppose your BMI exceeds 17.5. This means that you are underweight. Being overweight can make you more vulnerable to disease because it indicates that your body's defenses are weak. You may even develop osteoporosis in later stages of life or become anaemic. However, if you are obese, overweight or overweight, the chances of developing various ailments increase with the increase in your BMI number. You get more prone to illnesses like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes high cholesterol, cardiovascular artery diseases, stroke among others.
4. Which is the average BMI value of children and adults?
   In kids, BMI will be determined in the identical way as adults but the healthy and unhealthy ranges are determined in a different manner. We don't have a set of thresholds to define healthy and at-risk thresholds in children. Children's BMI values are assessed against other children similar in age and gender, and a percentile calculated.If the BMI value is below the 5th percentile of children, they are deemed underweight. When your BMI value is over 95th percentile, they are considered to be obese. The value that falls between 85th and 95th percentiles is considered as overweight and between 5th to 85th percentile, it is considered normal.
5. When to see a doctor?
   Ideally, if your BMI belongs to some other category than normal one, you should have it tested at least every six months or a year at the maximum. But the further your BMI is outside of the normal range, that ranges from 18.5 up to 25; the more chance you're in. If you're severely overweight or are at or near the in the process of becoming obese, you must see a doctor immediately. In the absence of other measurements, it's not possible to determine the precise state of your health because of the limitations of the BMI number. The above numbers only give you an estimate that is applicable to all. They are not personal, and cannot replace medical advice in any case.