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Considerations for data production > Healthy Canadians >

68-HTL: Body mass index

Definition
Rationale and notes for interpretation
Technical specifications
Data availability
Considerations for indicator quality and comparability
Responsibility to produce the data

Definition

Percent of adults who report a [computed] body mass index in specified categories, ranging from underweight to obese.

Body mass index (BMI) is based on self-reported height and weight, and calculated for persons 18 years of age and over, excluding pregnant women. Due to different rates of growth for individuals under 18 years of age, the standard BMI is not considered a suitable indicator for this group. BMI is calculated as weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in meters) squared.


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Rationale and notes for interpretation

Obesity has been identified as a major risk factor contributing to a number of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. BMI is the most common method of determining if an individual's weight is in a healthy range. Data on height and weight are based on self-report survey responses. Individuals may not always report reliably. The effect of excess weight as a risk factor for various diseases increases with BMI above the threshold of 25; this is a widely used standard in the health literature.


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Technical specifications

Exclusions:

Everyone less than 18 years of age, persons living on First Nation Reserves and on Crown lands, residents of institutions, full-time member of Canadian Armed Forces and residents of certain remote regions are excluded from the sample. Also excluded are pregnant women, and persons measuring less than 914 centimetres (3 feet) or greater than 210.8 centimetres (6 feet 11 inches) in height.

Calculation:

(Numerator/denominator) x 100

Numerator:

Population aged 18 years and over reporting a BMI in each of the four categories shown under requirements below.

Denominator:

Total population aged 18 years and over.

Source:

Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.1 2003, Cycle 1.1 2000/01;
National Population Health Survey, 1994/95 to 1998/99.


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Data availability

  • Data available for Canada, the provinces and the territories, by sex.

  • Results are presented as a distribution with the following categories:
    <18.5 (underweight)
    18.5 - 24.9 (acceptable weight)
    25.0 - 29.9 (overweight)
    ≥30.0 (obese)
    30.0 - 34.9 (obese Class I)
    35.0 - 39.9 (obese Class II)
    ≥40.0 (obese Class III)

  • Results from the most recent year (2003) are reported.

  • Crude and age-standardized data available by sex for Canada, the provinces and the territories.

  • Supplementary data also available by sex and age-group:
    Total, 18 years and over
    18 - 34 years
    35 - 44 years
    45 - 64 years
    65 years and over.


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Considerations for indicator quality and comparability

The definition for BMI has been modified from the one used with previous data released by Statistics Canada, in order to respect the latest guidelines from Health Canada, which in turn, correspond to those of the World Health Organisation.


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Responsibility to produce the data

Statistics Canada

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Date modified: 2004-12-01 Important Notices