Although some people prefer the less-ambiguous term body mass, the term body weight is overwhelmingly used in daily English speech as well as in the contexts of biological and medical sciences to describe the mass In physics, mass commonly refers to any of three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent: Inertial mass, active gravitational mass and passive gravitational mass. In everyday usage, mass is often taken to mean weight, but in scientific use, they refer to different properties of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilograms The kilogram is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI, from the French Le Système International d’Unités),[Note 2] which is the modern standard governing the metric system. The kilogram is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK),[Note 3] which is almost exactly equal to the mass throughout the world, although in some countries people more often measure and describe body weight in pounds The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement. A number of different definitions have been used, the most common today being the international avoirdupois pound of exactly 0.45359237 kilograms (e.g. United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language and Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three) or stones and pounds Imperial units or the imperial system is a system of units, first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, later refined and reduced. The system came into official use across the British Empire. By the late 20th century most nations of the former empire had officially adopted the metric system as their main system of measurement (e.g. among people in the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states. All but two of these countries were formerly part of the British Empire) 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. (1 kg is approximately 2.2 lb; 1 stone The stone is a unit of measure, abbreviation st which, when it ceased to be legal for trade in United Kingdom in 1985, was defined in British legislation as being a weight or mass [sic] equal to 14 [avoirdupois] pounds [about 6.35 kilograms]. It was also formerly used in several Commonwealth countries.[citation needed] (14 lb) is approximately 6.4 kg.)
The term is usually encountered in connection with:
- food Food is any substance or materials eaten or drunk to provide nutritional support for the body or for pleasure. It usually consists of plant or animal origin, that contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and and feeding behaviour
- normal and abnormal growth Human development is the process of growing to maturity. In biological terms, this entails growth from a one-celled zygote to an adult human being and development
- the physiological Physiology is the science of the functioning of living systems. It is a subcategory of biology. In physiology, the scientific method is applied to determine how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells and biomolecules carry out the chemical or physical function that they have in a living system. The word physiology is from Ancient Greek: φύσις and hormonal A hormone is a chemical released by a cell in one part of the body, that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. It is essentially a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another. All multicellular organisms produce hormones; control of ingestion and digestion In mammals, food enters the mouth, being chewed by teeth, with chemical processing beginning with chemicals in the saliva from the salivary glands. Then it travels down the esophagus into the stomach, where hydrochloric acid kills most contaminating microorganisms and begins mechanical break down of some food , and chemical alteration of some. The
- foraging Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavior of animals in response to the environment in which the animal lives. Foraging theory considers the foraging behavior of animals in reference to the payoff that an animal obtains from different foraging options. Foraging theory predicts that the foraging options for food in animals
- hunger There were 923 million malnourished people in the world in 2007, an increase of 80 million since 1990. The FAO purports that the world already produces enough food to feed everyone — 6 billion people — and could feed double — 12 billion people and other motivations Motivation is the activation or energization of goal-orientated behavior. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but, theoretically, it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation. According to various theories, motivation may be rooted to eat
- problems in regulating body weight, often resulting in obesity Obesity 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. Body mass index , a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30
- eating disorders Eating disorders are a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and emotional health, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa being the most common specific forms in the United States, Though primarily such as anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, and an obsessive fear of gaining weight due to a distorted self image which may be maintained by various cognitive biases that alter how the affected individual evaluates and thinks about their body, food and eating. AN is a serious mental illness and bulimia nervosa Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors. The most common form is defensive vomiting, sometimes called purging; fasting, the use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics, and over exercising are also common
- effects of disease A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal disfunctions, such as autoimmune diseases. Ecologically, disease is defined as
- athletic competitions where the participants are classified according to their body weight
Contents |
Averages
Sports usage
Participants in sports such as boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art in which two people fight using their fists. Boxing is typically supervised by a referee engaged in during a series of one- to three-minute intervals called rounds, and boxers generally of similar weight. There are three ways to win; if the opponent is knocked out and unable to get up before the referee, mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of both striking as well as grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. Such competitions allow martial, wrestling Wrestling is an ancient martial art that uses 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. There are a wide range of styles with, rowing, judo Judo or Jūdō is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Dr Kano Jigoro. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint, and weight-lifting Olympic weightlifting, also called Olympic-style weightlifting or weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates are classified according to their body weight, measured in units of mass such as pounds or kilograms. See, e.g., wrestling weight classes Currently, men's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is divided into four main age categories internationally: schoolboys, cadets, juniors, and seniors, boxing weight classes In boxing, a weight class is a standardized weight range for boxers. The upper weight limit for each class is the lower limit of the next highest class. The top class, with no upper limit, is called heavyweight in professional boxing and super heavyweight in amateur boxing. A boxing match is usually scheduled for a fixed weight class, and each, 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, 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. Five judges scored the fighters in real time and the boxer with the most points at the end was the winner.
See also
- Anthropometry Anthropometry , in physical anthropology, refers to the measurement of the human individual for the purposes of understanding human physical variation
- Bergmann's Rule In zoology, Bergmann's rule is an ecogeographic rule that correlates latitude with body mass in animals. Broadly it asserts that within a species the body mass increases with latitude and colder climate, or that within closely related species that differ only in relation to size that one would expect the larger species to be found at the higher
- Birth weight Birth mass is the mass of a baby at its birth. It has direct links with the gestational age at which the child was born and can be estimated during the pregnancy by measuring fundal height. A baby born within the normal range of mass for that gestational age is known as appropriate for gestational age . Those born above or below that range have
- Body mass index The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a statistical measure which compares a person's weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the percentage of body fat, it is used to estimate a healthy body weight based on a person's height. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool to
- Body volume index Whereas BMI is based on a measurement of total mass, irrespective of the location of the mass, BVI looks at the relationship between mass and volume distribution . Recent studies have highlighted the limitations of BMI as an indicator of individual health risk
- Human height When populations share genetic background and environmental factors, average height is frequently characteristic within the group. Exceptional height variation within such a population is usually due to gigantism or dwarfism; which are medical conditions due to specific genes or to endocrine abnormalities[citation needed]
- List of the heaviest people Chess • Cricket • Cycling • Formula One motorsport • World Rally Championship • Speed Skating • Swimming Athletics: World records (progressions) • Olympic records • National records • US track and field
- Obesity Obesity 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. Body mass index , a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30
- Overweight Overweight 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. As much as 64% of the United States adult population is considered either overweight or obese, and this percentage has increased over the last four
- Underweight The term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight. This medical definition of underweight may differ from other uses of the term, such as those based on attractiveness
- Weight loss Weight 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. It can occur unintentionally due to an underlying disease or can arise from a conscious and weight gain Weight gain is an increase in body weight. This can be either an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, or excess fluids such as water
References
- ^ Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2004 (p. 160)
- ^ [1]
- ^ United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002
| This health At the time of the creation of the World Health Organization , in 1948, health was defined as being "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Categories: Anthropology Categories: Social sciences | Museology | Interdisciplinary fields | Body shape | Human anatomy Categories: Anatomy | Primate anatomy | Human body | Mass | Obesity |
Behavioral Health Central (blog)
"The purpose of this study was to examine whether prior evidence of an inverse relationship between initial body weight and subsequent antipsychotic-induced ...
