The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be adjusting the standard figures in the Body Mass Index (BMI) in order for policemen to easily comply with it as a requirement for promotion and getting new assignments.
PNP chief Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa said they conducted a review and analysis of the BMI implementation and found out that the BMI international standard is too rigid for policemen to comply.
“It’s too cruel, that’s why we adjusted it in such a way that is approved by the Philippine Association of Standards for Overweight and Obesity,” said Gamboa.
For instance, the BMI international standard dictates that a person with five feet and six inches height must be a maximum weight of 159 pounds. But with the adjustment made by the PNP, a weight of 170 pounds will be set as a maximum.
BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women, according to local the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Using the metric system, it is computed via dividing a person’s weight expressed in kilogram by a person’s height in meters squared (or multiplying the height by itself), or BMI= kg/m².
According to the experts, a BMI less than 18.5 is considered as underweight while those between 18.5 to 24.9 are considered normal. A BMI between 25-29.9 is considered overweight while those who have more than 30 BMI are considered obese.
Gamboa explained that there are some factors that they considered in adjusting the BMI, first is the age and the current weight of the policemen.
“What we are trying to prevent here is the abrupt reduction of weight because it will certainly have adverse effects especially to policemen who are not that young,” said Gamboa.
Based on the standard, the average weight that a person must reduce is two to three kilos a month.
“More than that it’s not anymore healthy and it’s risky,” said Gamboa.
The PNP leadership earlier implemented the BMI as part of its physical fitness program. It was then used as a requirement for promotion, schooling and even for new assignments. (Aaron B. Recuenco)
