Nutrition in Wound Healing
Resource to help raise awareness of the role of nutrition in wound healing
Identifying Malnutrition - Body Mass Index(BMI)
BMI (Body Mass Index) relates to the weight of an individual in relation to their height. It is simple to use, tends to be widely used and provides some indication as to an individual's likely nutritional status, as a low BMI is argued to indicate a greater likelihood of inadequate nutritional intake. Many nutritional screening or assessment tools include BMI as an aid in screening for malnutrition and so the nurse should be aware of how to calculate BMI and what the resulting classifications mean. To work out BMI one should divide the individual's weight (in kg) by their height (in metres squared). Box 2 shows BMI classification.
| BMI | Classification |
|---|---|
| Less than 20 | Underweight |
| 20-24.9 | Desirable |
| 25-29.9 | Overweight |
| 30 - 39.9 | Obese |
| 40 + | Grossly obese |
From Ward and Rollins (1999)
BMI can however be inaccurate because whilst patients may be eating sufficient calories and so be ‘overweight’ or of ‘normal’ weight, the individual may still have a low intake of other nutrients such as protein or vitamins.
Practice working out a BMI of a patient that you care for. Allow someone to check it. Do you both get the same result?
