Predict Your Risk of Chronic Disease

The Body-Mass Index (or BMI) has been found to be a good predictor of your risk for chronic disease.  It compares the ratio of your weight and height (squared) with the ratio for other people of your gender and in your age range.  Using Health-Minder's EXERCISE|Body Composition feature, enter your height and weight (use metric if you like), and press CALCULATE.   Health-Minder will show you how your BMI compares with the ideal BMI for your age group.   But, be sure to measure your weight and height accurately.  Don't make estimates. A small difference in the measurements can make a big difference in the results to be compared.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio. Another predictor of risk for chronic disease is body fat distribution.  A tendency to store fat above the hips, as most men do, is thought to be a higher risk for health problems than storing fat below the hips.  To assess the way fat is distributed on your body, measure your waist and around the fullest part of your hips and enter these numbers (in inches or centimeters) in the EXERCISE|Body Composition screen.  Health-Minder will calculate the ratio of waist to hips and show you where your ratio is located on a graph of high, moderate, and low risk norms by age groups.  Note that even if your BMI is within normal range, a bulge of fat around your waist can still mean you have some risk for one of these diseases.  If you are a person with a higher than ideal BMI (generally, a BMI over 25) and a high waist-to-hip ratio, your risk for chronic disease is
magnified.  If you have too much body fat, and not enough muscle, exercise and moderate calorie restriction can help to improve your body composition.

You can also calculate the BMI for a child from 2 to 20 years with Health-Minder. To understand the meaning of Body Mass Index measurements for children, please see the article BMI for Children in the September 2000 issue of Health-Minder News.