Latest update December 16th, 2024 9:00 AM
Body Mass Index (BMI) a good indicator of health and wellness
Health Facts
By: Rehanna Ramsay
Kaieteur News – Body Mass Index (BMI) is universally considered a marker of health and is widely used to measure malnutrition, overweight, and obesity. Studies have shown that an increase in BMI increases the risk of cardiovascular disease hypertension, myocardial infarction, lung disease, sleep apnea syndrome.
Rehanna Ramsay
Also, studies have shown that BMI can effectively reflect the physical fitness of ordinary college students. Moreover, physical fitness correlates positively with physical activity.
The BMI ranges are based on the effect excessive body fat has on disease and death and are reasonably well related to adiposity. BMI was developed as a risk indicator of disease; as BMI increases, so does the risk for some diseases.
Some common conditions related to overweight and obesity include: premature death, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, some cancers and diabetes.
BMI is also recommended for use in children and adolescents. In children, BMI is calculated as for adults and then compared with z-scores or percentiles.
During childhood and adolescence, the ratio between weight and height varies with sex and age, so the cut-off values that determine the nutritional status of those aged 0–19 years are gender- and age-specific. The cut-off points of the 2006 BMI-for-age reference for children aged 0–5 years for the diagnosis of overweight and obesity were set as the 97th and the 99th percentile, respectively. For those aged 5–19 years, overweight is defined as a BMI-for-age value over +1 SD and obesity as a BMI-for-age value over +2 SD.
BMI is very easy to measure and calculate and is therefore the most commonly used tool to correlate risk of health problems with the weight at population level. It was developed by Adolphe Quetelet during the 19th century.
During the 1970s and based especially on the data and report from the seven countries studied, researchers noticed that BMI appeared to be a good proxy for adiposity and overweight related problems.
Like any other measure, it is not perfect because it is only dependent on height and weight and it does not take into consideration different levels of adiposity based on age, physical activity levels and sex. For this reason, it is expected that it overestimates adiposity in some cases and underestimates it in others.
Other measures, such as waist circumference (WC), can complement BMI estimates. Association between WC and health risks is not an easy task and should be done scientifically using proper techniques.
Benefits of regular physical activity
Regular physical activity – such as walking, cycling, or dancing – has significant benefits for health. For instance, it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, help control weight, and promote mental well-being.
Taking part in physical activity increases opportunities for socialization, networking, and cultural identity. Physical activity has a positive influence on the community and society by promoting social interaction and cohesion.
Especially among children and young people, sports and other physical activities contribute to empowerment and self-confidence. Physical activity furthermore helps to prevent and control risk behaviour, such as the use of tobacco, alcohol and other substances, unhealthy diet and violence.
The promotion of physical activity also has a positive impact on the environment. For instance, promoting walking and cycling over the use of motorized transport reduces traffic congestion, air and noise pollution and the consumption of fossil fuels.
Opting for a balanced, adequate and varied diet is an important step towards a happy and healthy lifestyle.
Vitamins and minerals in the diet are vital to boost immunity and healthy development,
A healthy diet can protect the human body against certain types of diseases, in particular non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and skeletal conditions.
It is proven that healthy diets can also contribute to an adequate body weight.
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