The percentile median body mass index (BMI) can used to relate the body mass index of an undernourished patient to those of population norms.
Parameters:
(1) patient's body mass index (BMI) in kg per square meter
(2) median (50th percentile) BMI for age and gender
percentage of median BMI =
= (patient's BMI) / (median BMI) * 100%
The Z-score for BMI may be more informative.
