Human weight
From Free net encyclopedia
Weight in measuring human body weight in the medical sciences and in sports is a measurement of mass (so not the meaning of weight common in physics jargon), expressed in units of mass such as kilograms (kg) or pounds (lb). In Britain, the stone (14 lb = 6.35 kg) is still common for this purpose as well.
The average weight for male adults in the United States is about 76 to 83 kg (168 to 183 lb). The average weight for male teenagers in the United States is about 45 to 64 kg (99 to 141 lb). For female adults the average weight is 54 to 64 kg (120 to 140 lb). For female teenagers the average weight is 45 to 57 kg (100 to 126 lb). Weight is of course related to height, so people taller than average tend to be heavier as well. A quantity called Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to express weight relative to height.
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Health issues involving human weight
- normal and abnormal growth and development
- the physiological and hormonal control of ingestion and digestion
- hunger and other motivations to eat
- problems in regulating body weight, often resulting in obesity
- eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
- effects of disease, often resulting in cachexia
Non-health related issues involving human weight
- leveling the playing field in various sports such as boxing, wrestling, and judo by classifying participants according to their weight
- issues regarding seat sizing and weight limitations on airplanes and other forms of transport