Fact of the Day : In medical terms how is the Quetelet index better known? (from A Dictionary of Public Health)
body mass index (BMI) Syn: Quetelet index, named for the Belgian polymath Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet ( 1796 – 1874 ). The body weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. This anthropometric measure is an indicator of fatness and obesity. It correlates closely with skinfold thickness and density of the body. The desirable range is 20 to 25. Above 25 is overweight, and above 30 is obesity. BMI below the lower end of the acceptable range indicates undernutrition. The BMI has been regarded as a reliable predictor of susceptibility to coronary heart disease, but the ratio of waist-to-hip circumference may be a better predictor.
How to cite this entry:
"body mass index" A Dictionary of Public Health. Ed. John M. Last, Oxford University Press, 2007. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 15 August 2011
"body mass index" A Dictionary of Public Health. Ed. John M. Last, Oxford University Press, 2007. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 15 August 2011
