Weight in measuring human body weight in the medical sciences and in sports is used synonymously with mass (rather than the correct technical definition of weight), expressed in units of mass, such as kilograms (kg) or weight, such as pounds (lb). In Britain, the stone (14 lb = 6.35 kg) is still common for this purpose as well.

The average weight for male adults in the United States is about 76 to 83 kg (168 to 183 lb). The average weight for male teenagers in the United States is about 45 to 64 kg (99 to 141 lb) . For female adults the average weight is 54 to 64 kg (120 to 140 lb). For female teenagers the average weight is 45 to 57 kg (100 to 126 lb) . Weight is, of course, related to height, so people taller than average tend to be heavier as well.

A quantity called Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to express weight relative to height. This is determined by dividing the weight of a person in kilograms by the square of the height in meters. Optimally, this number should be in the 20s; over 40, and the person is morbidly obese. Nevertheless, if the person is an athlete or a bodybuilder with big muscles and a low percentage of body fat, he or she is given the benefit of the doubt; these people have high BMIs but low body fat, which would render the BMI index as an inaccurate method for determining a person's health.

Health issues involving human weight

• normal and abnormal growth and development
• the physiological and hormonal control of ingestion and digestion
• hunger and other motivations to eat
• problems in regulating body weight, often resulting in obesity
• eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
• effects of disease, often resulting in cachexia

Non-health related issues involving human weight

• leveling the playing field in various sports such as boxing, wrestling, and judo by classifying participants according to their weight
• issues regarding seat sizing and weight limitations on airplanes and other forms of transport

See also

• anthropometry
• birth weight
• body mass index
• human height
• obesity

Anthropology | Human anatomy | Mass | Obesity

Körpergewicht | 体重 | Waga