Body mass index (BMI), by age group and sex, household population aged 18 and over excluding pregnant women, Canada, 2003

Body mass  index                                Total Underweight - BMI under 18.5 Normal weight - BMI 18.5-24.9 Overweight - BMI 25.0-29.9 Obese - BMI 30.0 or higher Body mass index, not stated
Number Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
2003  
Total, 18 years and over 23,837,758 631,040 2.6 11,140,346 46.7 7,929,024 33.3 3,547,995 14.9 589,353 2.5
Males 11,794,013 136,968 1.2 4,862,345 41.2 4,837,330 41.0 1,877,678 15.9 79,693 0.7
Females 12,043,745 494,072 4.1 6,278,001 52.1 3,091,694 25.7 1,670,317 13.9 509,660 4.2
18-34 years 6,931,474 318,755 4.6 3,908,348 56.4 1,734,543 25.0 787,013 11.4 182,816 2.6
Males 3,570,983 64,945 1.8 1,845,948 51.7 1,164,619 32.6 465,212 13.0 30,258 E 0.8 E
Females 3,360,492 253,809 7.6 2,062,400 61.4 569,924 17.0 321,801 9.6 152,558 4.5
18-24 years 2,922,721 190,985 6.5 1,859,314 63.6 571,058 19.5 227,046 7.8 74,319 2.5
Males 1,516,347 41,373 2.7 921,550 60.8 397,555 26.2 138,878 9.2 16,990 E 1.1 E
Females 1,406,375 149,612 10.6 937,764 66.7 173,503 12.3 88,168 6.3 57,328 4.1
18-19 years 791,726 66,176 8.4 554,228 70.0 107,427 13.6 43,791 5.5 20,104 2.5
Males 404,487 18,168 4.5 282,843 69.9 68,662 17.0 28,798 7.1 6,016 E 1.5 E
Females 387,239 48,008 12.4 271,385 70.1 38,765 10.0 14,993 3.9 14,088 3.6
20-24 years 2,130,995 124,809 5.9 1,305,087 61.2 463,630 21.8 183,255 8.6 54,214 2.5
Males 1,111,860 23,205 E 2.1 E 638,707 57.4 328,893 29.6 110,080 9.9 F F
Females 1,019,136 101,604 10.0 666,379 65.4 134,737 13.2 73,175 7.2 43,240 4.2
25-34 years 4,008,753 127,770 3.2 2,049,033 51.1 1,163,485 29.0 559,967 14.0 108,498 2.7
Males 2,054,636 23,572 1.1 924,398 45.0 767,064 37.3 326,333 15.9 13,268 E 0.6 E
Females 1,954,117 104,197 5.3 1,124,635 57.6 396,421 20.3 233,633 12.0 95,230 4.9
35-44 years 5,262,328 103,255 2.0 2,495,987 47.4 1,779,377 33.8 764,430 14.5 119,279 2.3
Males 2,671,810 21,878 E 0.8 E 1,021,021 38.2 1,191,176 44.6 425,235 15.9 12,499 E 0.5 E
Females 2,590,519 81,377 3.1 1,474,966 56.9 588,201 22.7 339,195 13.1 106,780 4.1
45-64 years 7,858,810 101,810 1.3 3,140,183 40.0 2,975,237 37.9 1,450,670 18.5 190,911 2.4
Males 3,891,595 27,796 E 0.7 E 1,338,851 34.4 1,753,933 45.1 754,610 19.4 16,406 0.4
Females 3,967,215 74,014 1.9 1,801,332 45.4 1,221,304 30.8 696,060 17.5 174,505 4.4
45-54 years 4,568,177 62,035 1.4 1,911,447 41.8 1,677,561 36.7 793,076 17.4 124,058 2.7
Males 2,240,920 16,136 E 0.7 E 793,425 35.4 1,002,505 44.7 419,900 18.7 8,953 E 0.4 E
Females 2,327,258 45,899 2.0 1,118,022 48.0 675,056 29.0 373,176 16.0 115,105 4.9
55-64 years 3,290,633 39,775 1.2 1,228,735 37.3 1,297,676 39.4 657,594 20.0 66,853 2.0
Males 1,650,676 11,660 E 0.7 E 545,425 33.0 751,428 45.5 334,710 20.3 7,452 E 0.5 E
Females 1,639,957 28,115 1.7 683,310 41.7 546,247 33.3 322,884 19.7 59,400 3.6
65 years and over 3,785,145 107,220 2.8 1,595,828 42.2 1,439,867 38.0 545,882 14.4 96,347 2.5
Males 1,659,626 22,348 1.3 656,525 39.6 727,602 43.8 232,620 14.0 20,530 1.2
Females 2,125,520 84,872 4.0 939,304 44.2 712,266 33.5 313,262 14.7 75,817 3.6
65-74 years 2,182,159 40,446 1.9 850,646 39.0 877,319 40.2 371,868 17.0 41,881 1.9
Males 1,030,238 10,611 E 1.0 E 374,632 36.4 469,628 45.6 166,968 16.2 8,398 E 0.8 E
Females 1,151,922 29,835 2.6 476,014 41.3 407,691 35.4 204,901 17.8 33,482 2.9
75 years and over 1,602,986 66,775 4.2 745,182 46.5 562,549 35.1 174,014 10.9 54,466 3.4
Males 629,388 11,737 E 1.9 E 281,892 44.8 257,974 41.0 65,653 10.4 12,132 1.9
Females 973,598 55,037 5.7 463,290 47.6 304,575 31.3 108,361 11.1 42,334 4.3
1. Data source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2003
2. Population aged 18 and over, excluding pregnant women and persons less than 3 feet (0.914 metres) tall or greater than 6 feet 11 inches (2.108 metres).
3. Body mass index (BMI) is calculated by dividing the respondent's body weight (in kilograms) by their height (in metres) squared.
4. The index is: less than 18.5 (underweight); 18.5-24.9 (normal weight), 25.0-29.9 (overweight); 30.0-34.9 (obese - class I); 35.0-39.9 (obese - class II); 40 or greater (obese - class III).
5. Body mass index (BMI) is a method of classifying body weight according to health risk. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Canada guidelines, health risk levels are associated with each of the following BMI categories: normal weight = least health risk; underweight and overweight = increased health risk; obese - class I = high health risk; obese - class II = very high health risk; obese - class III = extremely high health risk.
6. Bootstrapping techniques were used to produce the coefficient of variation (CV) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
7. Data with a coefficient of variation (CV) from 16.6% to 33.3% are identified by an (E) and should be interpreted with caution.
8. Data with a coefficient of variation (CV) greater than 33.3% were suppressed (F) due to extreme sampling variability.
9. "Health regions" are defined by the provincial ministries of health. These are legislated administrative areas in all provinces except Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, the Ministry of Health uses statistical "zones" rather than its legislated administrative areas; the zones are aggregations of the nine district health authorities.
10. For complete Canadian coverage, each of the northern territories also represents a health region.
11. The health regions presented in this table are based on boundaries and names in effect as of June 2003.
12. A "peer group" is a grouping of health regions that have similar social and economic characteristics. The nine peer groups are identified by the letters A through I, which are appended to the health region 4-digit code.
13. In Ontario, Public health units (PHU) administer health promotion and disease prevention programs, and District health councils (DHC) are advisory, health planning organizations.
14. In Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, health regions are referred to as Health Authorities (HA) or Regional Health Authorities (RHA).
15. To avoid data suppression, northern regions in Manitoba have been grouped with neighbouring regions, as follows: Churchill Regional Health Authority (4690) is combined with Burntwood Regional Health Authority (4680) and referred to as "Burntwood/Churchill (4685)".
16. To avoid data suppression, northern regions in Saskatchewan have been grouped with neighbouring regions, as follows: Athabasca Health Authority (4713) is combined with Mamawetan Churchill River Regional Health Authority (4711) and Keewatin Yatthé Regional Health Authority (4712) and referred to as "Mamawetan/Keewatin/Athabasca (4714)".
17. The following standard symbols are used in Statistics Canada publications: (..) for figures not available for a specific reference period and (...) for figures not applicable.
18. CANSIM table number 01050209.