BMI Background

The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet index, is a measurement that is used worldwide by medical professionals to determine healthy body weight of patients. It was invented by the Belgian polymath, Adolphe Quetelet, between 1830 and 1850.

A common use of the BMI is to find how much an individual's body weight stands out from what is normal or considered necessary for a person of his or her height. Although there are other factors to consider, excess or deficiency of weight may help a person realize that his or her health requires urgent attention. BMI can also be determined using a BMI chart, which displays BMI as a function of weight (horizontal axis) and height (vertical axis) using contour lines for different values of BMI or colors for different BMI categories.