Body weight
Encyclopedia
The term body weight is used in daily English speech as well as in the contexts of biological and medical sciences to describe the mass
of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilogram
s throughout the world, although in some countries it is still measured in pounds
(e.g. United States) or stones and pounds (e.g. among people in the United Kingdom) and thus may not be well acquainted with measurement in kilograms. Most hospitals, even in the United States, now use kilograms for calculations, but use kilograms and pounds together for other purposes. Body weight of a person is theoretically the weight of the person without any items on. However, for all practical purposes, body weight is taken with clothes on but often without the shoes and heavy accessories like mobile phones and wallets.
In physics, body mass (an expression of matter that does not change due to gravity) is expressed in kilograms while body weight (which is an expression of force that includes gravity) is expressed in newtons.
The Leffler formula is used for children 0–10 years of age. In those less than a year old it is
and for those 1–10 years old it is
where m is the number of kilograms the child weighs and am and ay respectively are the number of months or years old the child is.
The Theron formula is
where m and ay are as above.
, mixed martial arts
, wrestling
, rowing
, judo
, and weight-lifting are classified according to their body weight, measured in units of mass such as pounds or kilograms. See, e.g., wrestling weight classes
, boxing weight classes, judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
, boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
.
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
s throughout the world, although in some countries it is still measured in pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
(e.g. United States) or stones and pounds (e.g. among people in the United Kingdom) and thus may not be well acquainted with measurement in kilograms. Most hospitals, even in the United States, now use kilograms for calculations, but use kilograms and pounds together for other purposes. Body weight of a person is theoretically the weight of the person without any items on. However, for all practical purposes, body weight is taken with clothes on but often without the shoes and heavy accessories like mobile phones and wallets.
In physics, body mass (an expression of matter that does not change due to gravity) is expressed in kilograms while body weight (which is an expression of force that includes gravity) is expressed in newtons.
Average weight around the world
| Country/Region | Average male weight/kg | Average male weight/lb | Average female weight/kg | Average female weight/lb | Sample population / age range |
Methodology | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 72.7 | 160.3 | 62.5 | 137.8 | 20–74 | Measured | 2008–2009 | |
| Chile | 77.3 | 170.4 | 67.5 | 148.8 | 15 and over | Measured | 2009–2010 | |
| Germany | 82.4 | 181.7 | 67.5 | 148.8 | 18 and over | Measured | 2005 | |
| United States | 86.6 | 190.9 | 74.4 | 164.0 | 20–74 | Measured | 1999–2002 |
Stability
The stability of body weight depends on the energy intake and expenditure. When energy intake exceeds output, the excess energy is stored in the body as carbohydrates, proteins or fats and this causes a gain in body weight. The converse is also true. When energy expenditure exceeds energy intake, body weight decreases.Estimation in children
A number of ways to estimate weight in children have been developed. They include: Broselow tape, Leffler formula, and Theron formula. The Broselow tape is based on length with weight read from the appropriate color area.The Leffler formula is used for children 0–10 years of age. In those less than a year old it is
and for those 1–10 years old it is
where m is the number of kilograms the child weighs and am and ay respectively are the number of months or years old the child is.
The Theron formula is
where m and ay are as above.
Sports usage
Participants in sports such as boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, and weight-lifting are classified according to their body weight, measured in units of mass such as pounds or kilograms. See, e.g., wrestling weight classes
Wrestling weight classes
-For men's freestyle and Greco-Roman:Currently, men's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is divided into four main age categories internationally: schoolboys, cadets, juniors, and seniors....
, boxing weight classes, judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall and featured 368 judoka competing for 14 gold medals with seven different weight categories in both the men's and women's competitions. Japan dominated the event by taking 8 gold and 2 silver medals.Gold and silver medals...
, boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall. The event was only open to men and bouts were contested over four rounds of two minutes each...
.
See also
- AnthropometryAnthropometryAnthropometry refers to the measurement of the human individual...
- Bergmann's RuleBergmann's RuleBergmann's rule is an ecogeographic principle that states that within a broadly distributed genus, species of larger size are found in colder environments, and species of smaller size are found in warmer regions. Although originally formulated in terms of species within a genus, it has often been...
- Birth weightBirth weightBirth weight is the body weight of a baby at its birth.There have been numerous studies that have attempted, with varying degrees of success, to show links between birth weight and later-life conditions, including diabetes, obesity, tobacco smoking and intelligence.-Determinants:There are...
- Body mass indexBody mass indexThe body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
- Body volume indexBody volume indexThe Body Volume Index is a new measurement for human obesity that has been proposed as an alternative to the Body Mass Index .BMI is based on a measurement of total mass, irrespective of the location of the mass, but BVI looks at the relationship between mass and volume distribution...
- Hesse's Rule
- Human heightHuman heightHuman height is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body standing erect.When populations share genetic background and environmental factors, average height is frequently characteristic within the group...
- List of the heaviest people
- ObesityObesityObesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
- OverweightOverweightOverweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary...
- UnderweightUnderweightThe term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
- Weight lossWeight lossWeight loss, in the context of medicine, health or physical fitness, is a reduction of the total body mass, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon and other connective tissue...
and weight gainWeight gainWeight gain is an increase in body weight. This can be either an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, or excess fluids such as water.-Description:...