Shape Up America! is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue. The mission of Shape Up America! is to provide evidence-based information and guidance on weight management to the public, health care professionals, educators, policymakers and the media.

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Founded in 1994, Shape Up America! is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing responsible information on healthy weight management.

Assessing Adult Obesity

Body Mass Index or BMI is usually used to assess overweight and obesity because it relies on simple measurements of height and weight. For a more direct assessment of body fat, please see the Body Fat Lab.

 BMI Chart for Adults (up to 250 lbs.)

 BMI Chart for Adults (above 250 lbs.)

On the charts, color is used to indicate risk. The green zone indicates the lowest risk associated with BMI. The yellow zone indicates increased risk and the red zone indicates the highest risk associated with BMI.

BMI calculator

Our adult Body Mass Index or BMI calculator is an easy way to determine your BMI. However, the BMI calculator is not appropriate for everyone since, in some people, the results can be misleading. These individuals include:

• Weight lifters, body builders and other athletes whose BMI is elevated, not because of excessive body fat but because of muscle
• Frail, elderly individuals
• Infants, toddlers and children
• Teens who are still growing

IMPORTANT: This calculator is for adults only. To determine BMI for an individual between the ages of 2 and 20, please use our Pediatric BMI Assessment Tool (below).

Assessing Childhood Obesity

This interactive tool permits health care professionals to calculate BMI and plot BMI percentiles on the CDC growth charts for children ages 2 to 20. This tool should prove useful for schools and school nurses who are interested in measuring heights and weights in order to calculate BMI in school children.

The Shape Up America! Pediatric BMI Assessment Tool

You can enter up to six sets of data for a single individual and the graph can be printed out for filing purposes. A color printer is recommended: Note that color is used to denote individuals who are "overweight" (shown in red) or "at risk for overweight" (shown in yellow).

IMPORTANT: This calculator is for children between the ages of 2 and 20.

The accuracy of BMI assessment depends on accurate measurements of both height and weight. Protocols for measurement of weight and standing height are provided.