A NEW Body Mass Index (NBMI)

Abstract Body mass index (BMI) is typically used to define overweight and obesity. However, without waist circumference information, BMI may misclassify as overweight or obese. Therefore, we proposed a new index based on BMI. We developed a New Body Mass Index (NBMI) by adding waist circumference (WC) to BMI, which combined BMI and WC. That is, it also combined weight-for-height and waist-to-height ratios. The formula is: NBMI = BMI × WC (m) = WT (kg) / HT (m2) × WC (m) = WT (kg) / HT (m) × WC (m) / HT (m) = weight-for-height × waist-to-height. Firstly, individuals with the same height and weight have the same BMI, but their waist circumferences could vary considerably, and NBMI could distinguish body differences among people's waist sizes. Secondly, NBMI could better identify central obesity than BMI. Thirdly, NBMI could not only measure body mass but also classify health and obesity degrees according to a wide range of scores. Firstly, NBMI incorporating WC could better reflect the body difference in waist size than BMI. Secondly, NBMI is more convenient for identifying central obesity. Thirdly, NBMI could better classify different weight types by expanding the score range.