Evaluation of Body Mass Index for a reference Pakistani man and woman

To strengthen the radiation protection infrastructure, a pilot study on physical characteristics for Reference Asian Man was carried out in Pakistan. Physical data on height and weight of Pakistani men and women were collected and compiled for all age groups to establish a Reference Pakistani Man/Woman which contributed toward the Reference Asian Man/Woman. A correlation between Age and Body Mass Index (BMI) of Pakistani MALES (i.e., r(m) = +0.89) and FEMALES (i.e., r(f) = +0.71) was observed. Average BMI of Pakistani males and females for the age group of 20-50 y was found to be 21.95 kg m(-2) and 21.20 kg m(-2), respectively. From recent literature and work of others BMI for Reference Asian Male (RAM) and Reference Asian Female (RAF) has been found to be 20.79 kg m(-2) and 20.81 kg m(-2). Results of our study fall within BMI ranges for male/female adults of Asian countries, i.e., 19.14-22.98 kg m(-2) and 19.38-22.71 kg m(-2), respectively. However, no significant sex specific difference has been noted. Health Phys. 80(3):274-277; 2001.