ACTIVITY One way to find out if we are properly nourished is to calculate what nutrition scientists call Body Mass Index (BMI). This is easy to calculate. Let each student in the class find out his or her weight and height. Take the weight of each student in kilograms (kg).
Then, take the height by drawing up a scale on the wall and measuring accurately with the head straight. Convert the height recorded in centimeters into meters. Divide the weight in kg by the square of the height. The number you get is called BMI.
Then, look at the BMI-for-Age tables given on pages – . A student’s BMI could be within the normal range or less than that (underweight) or more (obesity). For example, if a girl student is years and month old and the BMI is . , then she is undernourished.
Similarly, if the BMI of a boy aged years and months is , then he is overweight. Discuss the life situation, food and exercise habits of students, in general, without body shaming anyone.