Concepts

Body Mass Index

Also Known As BMI · Quetelet Index

Citation Formats

General Reference

Health and Wellness Atlas. "Body Mass Index." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/body-mass-index.

APA Style

Health and Wellness Atlas. (n.d.). Body Mass Index. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/body-mass-index

BibTeX

@misc{healthandwellnessatlas-body-mass-index,
  author = {Health and Wellness Atlas},
  title = {Body Mass Index},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-health.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/body-mass-index},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

A simple ratio of weight to the square of height, used as a population level screening measure for underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obesity. Its inventor, Adolphe Quetelet, developed the ratio in the nineteenth century as a statistical measure, not a clinical diagnostic tool, and it is debated for that reason as an imperfect proxy for an individual body composition.

Facts

First Described Erathe subject's own account

1830s to 1850s, Adolphe Quetelet 1

Concept Class

Nutrition science, screening measure 2

Cross-Tradition Connections

In Branch

Nutrition Science

Source Encyclopedia Britannica

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Body Mass Index

WikipediaHistory section

Quote, History section

Adolphe Quetelet devised the basis of the BMI between 1830 and 1850.

View the Source

2. Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source

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