FACTORS INFLUENCING BODY MASS INDEX, ADVANTAGES AND ITS LIMITATIONS

Authors

  • Patience Aluyor
  • Ethel Ekeloseya Idialu

Abstract

This paper investigated the factors affecting Body Mass Index, Advantages and the limitations of Body Mass Index. The work describes the meaning of Body Mass Index, the factors affecting Body Mass Index, and the limitation of Body Mass Index. It is not expensive and it is easy to use. Body Mass Index investigate nutritional status of an individuals as a way of preventing chronic disease that can occur due to overweight or underweight, the higher BMI, the higher the risk of developing a range of health conditions associated with excess weight such as liver disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancers, hypertension and high cholesterol, Body Mass Index has been found the most appropriate, non- invasive and less expensive for determining nutritional status, BMI is calculated as weight in kilogram divided by height squared The result obtained is compared against BMI chart. This help to categorized the result obtained as underweight, normalweight, overweight and obese.There are different factors that influences BMI, such as physical exercise, socioeconomic status, Birth weight, Television factor, Natural condition, Environmental factor, Age and Sex. Despite the advantages of BMI, the following are some of the limitations, such as BMI calculation depend on the net weight and height of an individual and does not consider the distribution of muscles and bone mass, it does not differentiate between body fat and muscle mass, BMI cannot be used during pregnancy, there is a potential risk of over estimating fatness in individuals with high muscle mass such as athletics. This paper concluded that BMI is an acceptable tool for nutritional assessment.  The studyrecommended among others that an individual should take the responsibility to know their nutritional status, by knowing their BMI, pregnant women, athletics should considered other methods due to their special body composition.

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Published

2024-03-25