BMI (Body Mass Index) is used to give you an idea of whether you’re underweight, overweight or an ideal weight for your height. It’s useful to know because if your weight increases or decreases outside of the ideal range, your health risks may increase.

Note – BMI can be an inaccurate measure of healthy weight for pregnant women, children, older people, athletes or very muscular people. It may also need to be adjusted for some ethnic groups, including people of Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

Your waist circumference may be a better predictor of health risk than your BMI.

As a general rule, a healthy weight for your height would mean your body mass index (BMI) would be between 20 and 25.

If you are not yet at your ideal weight, try setting some achievable goals, possibly with your doctor or other health professional.

For more information regarding weight loss or BMI, contact your friendly UFS pharmacist or health care professional.