To calculate a person's BMI, first you would need to obtain accurate height and weight measurements. The formula to get the BMI number is simple, you take the weight (lb) and divide it by the accurate height (in) squared, and then multiply that number by 703. One should take into consideration that the BMI average can fluctuate depending on age and gender. For example, a 10 year old boy with a BMI of 18 would be in the healthy weight category (5th percentile to less than 85th percentile). That being said, a 10 year old boy that is considered obese would have a BMI of 23 and would be in the 95th percentile or greater [CDC14].
As we all can tell, things have changed over the course of 4 decades. Our parents grew up with notably different standards of living than we have today. I talked with my mother, who was born in 1964 and lived in California for the majority of her lifetime. She had a lot to say about how different things were when she was growing up. "We were raised differently there's no doubt about that. As children we would always be outside running around and playing with our friends. We made up games that involved rigorous physical activity. Cops and robbers, Indians and cowboys, tag, and hide-and-seek were the ones I remember playing the most and all of those require running, jumping, and chasing. We didn't have all of the special technology that keeps kids inside today. I was hardly ever in the house. I'd come home from school and do my homework, then be outside playing within an hour. We'd just be out there playing around like wild hooligans until the streetlights came on." When I asked about the physical education courses at the school she attended, she noted that P.E. was required every single year she attended school. That includes all years of elementary school, junior high, and high school. This requirement for physical education has become less strict throughout the United States, from Mississippi to Idaho.
