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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What is BMI and how is it a different measure than weight?

    Related Topic
    Fitness and Sports Medicine
    Why is BMI useful?
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  • Michael Kline

    Exercise Physiologist, Exercise Scientist

    I am an accredited Exercise Physiologist and have worked with a variety of clients including chronic disease, general population, athletes and corporate/workplace. To give a … View Profile

    BMI is body mass index it takes your weight and divides it by your height squared. General reason this is used is that if your a healthy body weight a short person should weigh less than a tall person. This equation aims to eliminate height as a contributing factor to your weight and give you an indication of if you are a healthy weight for your height. This should be used with common sence and in conjunction with a waist line measurement. BMI is not always accurate e.g. people who have significant amounts of muscle mass.

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  • Laith Cunneen

    Physiotherapist

    The BMI is a statistical tool for comparing populations and has little, if any, relevance when assessing an individual. This is because the BMI fails to account for the influence of different tissues (i.e. fat, muscle, bone, cartilage etc).

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  • Chris Fonda

    Dietitian, Nutritionist, Sports Dietitian

    As an Accredited Sports Dietitian, APD and athlete (springboard diver), Chris has both professional and personal experience in sport at the sub-elite and elite level.Chris … View Profile

    As both Michael and Laith said above BMI is a very general assessment of someones weight status. It doesn't account for lean muscle mass so an athlete who is quite muscular will have a BMI of over 25. In my practice with my clients, I use BMI but not alone. I take into account a persons waist circumference, blood fat profile and health status through a detailed medical and dietary history.

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