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Body Mass Index

What is the Body Mass Index?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is determined by your weight in kilograms divided by your height (in metres) squared.

It is designed for men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years. A healthy BMI score is between 18.5 and 26. A score below 18.5 indicates that you may be underweight; a value above 25 for a New Zealand European or 26 for a Maori or Pacific Islander indicates that you may be overweight.

BMI has its limitations for determining whether your weight is ideal or not (eg, it cannot distinguish between lean muscle and body fat). If you have concerns about your weight you should mention it the next time you visit your doctor.

For tips on healthy eating visit our Nutrition Centre or our preventive health and wellbeing website www.liveto100.co.nz.

To read New Zealanders' weight loss stories, and hear their advice, visit the everybody Communities Weight Loss Forum.

Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)

height:  metre and cm:

weight (kg):

CLICK HERE TO CALCULATE YOUR BMI

Your current BMI is:

BMI result

Underweight Healthy Overweight Obese
NZ European Less than 18.5 18.5 to 25 25 to 30 Greater than 30

Maori/
Pacific Islanders

Less than 18.5 18.5 to 26 26 to 32 Greater than 32

Waist circumference should ideally be less than 90cm for women and less than 100cm for men.

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MYHEALTH column by Barbara Docherty

Nurse Barbara Docherty's weekly column on health.