body mass index

noun

Definition of body mass index

: a measure of body fat that is the ratio of the weight of the body in kilograms to the square of its height in meters

Examples of body mass index in a Sentence

A person with a body mass index of more than 30 is considered to be obese.

Recent Examples on the Web

The author, seen here on the grounds of the Glyndebourne Opera House, learned that his own polygenic score showed him at risk for obesity at the 94th percentile for body mass index. — Robert Plomin, WSJ, "Our Fortunetelling Genes," 15 Nov. 2018 Having excess body fat, measured as body mass index, can put children at higher risk of other chronic health conditions and diseases, including asthma, Type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and heart disease. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "5 things moms can do to reduce child obesity risk, according to a new study," 11 July 2018 The researchers concluded that feelings of loneliness were associated with poor heart health overall, even after adjusting for other diseases, age, education levels, body mass index, or smoking/drinking habits. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Loneliness linked to poor heart health, premature death in new study," 12 June 2018 Humans die when their body mass index (BMI) is around 12. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "Not So Fast," 24 Sep. 2018 Other risk factors include having a higher body mass index before diagnosis, body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem or history of depression, and having a history of dieting or eating disorders. — Carrie Dennett, The Seattle Times, "It’s a dangerous eating disorder that affects people with diabetes. So why haven’t you heard of it?," 20 Aug. 2018 One methyl group that is linked to a higher body mass index may be able to quiet a gene called PIM3, which is involved in burning the body’s fuel. — Carl Zimmer, New York Times, "The Famine Ended 70 Years Ago, but Dutch Genes Still Bear Scars," 31 Jan. 2018 Everyone in the study had a BMI, or body mass index, of at least 35. — Carla K. Johnson, The Seattle Times, "Obesity surgery may lower heart-attack danger in diabetics, study finds," 16 Oct. 2018 Americans’ body mass index, age and income category affected the likelihood of whether an individual had dieted in the past year, while race and ethnicity did not have a significant impact, the Los Angeles Times's Karen Kaplan reports. — Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, "The Health 202: ACLU asks court to force government to pay cost of reuniting migrant families," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'body mass index.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

29 Dec 2018

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The first known use of body mass index was in 1983

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More Definitions for body mass index

body mass index

noun

English Language Learners Definition of body mass index

: a measurement that shows the amount of fat in your body and that is based on your weight and height

See the full definition for body mass index in the English Language Learners Dictionary

body mass index

noun

Medical Definition of body mass index

: a measure of body fat that is the ratio of the weight of the body in kilograms to the square of its height in meters a body mass index in adults of 25 to 29.9 is considered an indication of overweight, and 30 or more an indication of obesity —abbreviation BMI

— called also Quetelet index