BMI, or body mass index, is a measure that can be used to determine if a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. It is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. For example, a person who weighs 70 kilograms and is 1.75 meters tall would have a BMI of 22.9, which is considered to be within the normal range.
BMI is a useful tool for assessing a person’s overall health and can be used to identify those who are at risk for developing weight-related health problems. It is also used in research to study the relationship between weight and health. One of the key historical developments in the use of BMI was the development of the body mass index table, which was created in the 1970s by Ancel Keys. This table provides a way to categorize people into different weight categories based on their BMI.