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This is a Body
Mass Index or BMI table. Remember BMI is calculated by using
your weight and height. For adults
over 20 years old, BMI falls into one of three categories. As you can see Normal BMI is
18.5-24.9. This is the yellow area of
the table. BMI between 25-29.9 is considered overweight and BMI of 30 and
above is obese. Obesity is indicated
in the dark gray area of the table.
Along the far left side of the table,
height ranges from 4’10 inches to 6’8.
If you follow horizontally to the left these numbers indicate body
weight in pounds.
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BMI correlates
with body fat. The relation between fatness and BMI differs with age and
gender. Women are more likely to have a higher percent of body fat than men
for the same BMI.
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Let’s look at an
example. If a person is 5’10 and
weighs 160 their BMI is 23 or normal.
Remember that BMI is only one piece of a person's health profile. It
is important to talk with your doctor about other measures and risk factors.
(e.g., waist circumference, smoking, physical activity level, and diet.)
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Now let’s look at
trends in obesity across the U.S. The
following are maps created by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that
report on the rates of obesity. We will start with the year 1985 and bring
you up to date with 2001 rates. As
these maps change, notice the color of the states. Lighter colored states have lower obesity
and darker colored states have high obesity.
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