Asian BMI

I believe most of you know BMI, which is a rough scale to indicate health level of a person and risk level of a person against diseases related to cardiovascular and other weight related disease. The formula to calculate BMI is :

BMI = mass (kg) /height(m2)

If you Google most of BMI scale look like this:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

However the scale above is actually for Americans who is generally much taller and has larger body frame.

Asian who is generally shorter and with smaller body frame actual BMI is like this:

Singapore BMI :

Category BMI range – kg/m2
Emaciation 14.9 or less
Underweight from 15 to 18.4
Normal from 18.5 to 22.9
Overweight from 23 to 27.5
Obese from 27.6 to 40
Morbidly Obese greater than 40


Japan and Hong Kong :

Category BMI range – kg/m2
Normal from 18.5 to 22.9
Overweight from 23.0 to 24.9
Obese 25.0 and above


The main reason of why I'm aiming for a low BMI is to reduce the risk factor of my self from getting cardiovascular disease. So below are an important scale for me. It shows Risk factor of getting cardiovascular disease according to BMI for asian :


BMI (kg/m2) for Adults


Health Risk 27.5 and above


High Risk 23 – 27.4


Moderate Risk 18.5 – 22.9


Low Risk (healthy range) Below 18.5 (Risk of nutritional deficiency diseases and osteoporosis)


It is important to note that BMI is a rough reference of your well being and health risk factor. A more accurate indication would be body fat percentage and HDL,LDL level. I myself feel quite healthy and fit now at BMI 28 and currently aiming for BMI 22 , however I will go for body fat percentage and other health check at BMI 25 to determine whether I need to go lower than 25. I was BMI22 years ago and my mum and some friends told me that I look rather skinny . So really BMI is just a rough figure, so my strategy was to set a BMI to aim for, then go for a detailed test once you reach there.

Source:
http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/bmi_asia_strategies.pdf