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How to Calculate the BMI of a Quadriplegic

Calculating your BMI (Body Mass Index) is relatively simple, and it is the same formula no matter what your age, gender, disability, etc.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • Scale
  • Tape measure
  • Helping hand
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Instructions

  1. How to Calculate the BMI of a Quadriplegic

    • 1

      Weigh yourself, or have someone help you weigh yourself by picking you up and placing you on a scale. Another alternative is weighing yourself and your transportation device, such as your wheelchair, (or have someone else weigh you) and then looking up the weight of your transportation device in your owner's manual or on the internet , and subtract the weight of your transportation device from the total weight obtained; the number you obtain should be your weight. To measure yourself and your transportation device, you will need access to an industrial scale, such as ones they use in supermarkets. You can ask around to see if you can use one at stores you know, or call your physician to ask to use their industrial-sized scale. Measure your weight in pounds.

    • 2

      Measure your height. You can generally call your physician, who measures your height at each visit, for your last measurement, or have someone else measure you with a tape measure. Have someone measure you while you are laying down, perhaps after you've woken up or before you've gone to sleep, so that you are lying straight; this is an easier way to measure than if you were sitting down. Measure your height in inches.

    • 3

      Enter your height and weight--either metric or in pounds and inches--in the BMI calculator at the National Institutes of Health website (see Resources for direct link). Then click "Compute BMI" for the result.
      Or if you want to do the math yourself, use the following formula: Multiply your weight in pounds by 703. Divide the result by your height in inches squared (squaring is just multiplying your height in inches by itself). This should give you a number between 17.5 and 35, although, if you are quite thin, it could be a little lower, and if you are larger, it could be higher, but not by much.

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