Types of Health Measures & Formulas
Body weight, heart health, blood sugar, cholesterol and physical function: here is what the key health measures mean and how results are judged, all on one page.
📄 Contents
⚖ 1. Body Weight Measures
The most basic measure for checking weight. The ranges below are the Korean (Asian) standard, which is lower than the Western one.
| Result | BMI range (Korean standard) |
|---|---|
| 🔵 Underweight | Under 18.5 |
| 🟢 Normal | 18.5 ~ 22.9 |
| 🟡 Overweight | 23 ~ 24.9 |
| 🔴 Obese | 25 or higher |
A measure that shows whether you carry extra fat around the belly.
| Sex | Normal | Belly fat (abdominal obesity) |
|---|---|---|
| 👨 Men | Under 0.90 | 0.90 or higher |
| 👩 Women | Under 0.85 | 0.85 or higher |
💓 2. Heart Health Measures
Measured as systolic (top) / diastolic (bottom) pressure in mmHg. Example: 120/80 mmHg. The categories below are the ones used in Korea.
| Category | Systolic | Diastolic |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Normal | Under 120 | Under 80 |
| 🟡 Elevated | 120 ~ 129 | Under 80 |
| 🟡 Prehypertension | 130 ~ 139 | 80 ~ 89 |
| 🔴 High blood pressure | 140 or higher | 90 or higher |
The number of heartbeats per minute, measured while you are at rest.
| Category | Range |
|---|---|
| 🟡 Slow (bradycardia) | Under 60 beats/min |
| 🟢 Normal | 60 ~ 100 beats/min |
| 🟡 Fast (tachycardia) | Over 100 beats/min |
🍬 3. Blood Sugar (Diabetes) Measures
Your blood sugar level, measured after not eating for 8 hours or more.
| Result | Range (mg/dL) |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Normal | 70 ~ 99 |
| 🟡 Impaired fasting glucose | 100 ~ 125 |
| 🔴 Diabetes | 126 or higher |
A measure that reflects your average blood sugar over the past 2~3 months.
| Result | HbA1c (%) |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Normal | Under 5.7% |
| 🟡 Prediabetes | 5.7 ~ 6.4% |
| 🔴 Diabetes | 6.5% or higher |
🪨 4. Cholesterol Measures
| Item | Normal | Caution / risk |
|---|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | 200 or lower 🔴 | 240 or higher: risk 🔴 |
| LDL ("bad" cholesterol) | 100 or lower: good 🔴 | 160 or higher: risk 🔴 |
| HDL ("good" cholesterol) | 60 or higher: good 🔴 | Under 40: risk 🔴 |
| Triglycerides (TG) | 150 or lower: normal 🔴 | 200 or higher: risk 🔴 |
🔥 5. Physical Function Measures
The minimum energy your body needs each day just to stay alive, even when you do nothing at all.
Women: 10×weight (kg) + 6.25×height (cm) − 5×age − 161
The share of your body weight that is fat. (Deurenberg formula)
※ Sex: man = 1, woman = 0
| Category | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy | 14 ~ 17% | 21 ~ 24% |
| Average | 18 ~ 24% | 25 ~ 31% |
| Obese | 25% or more | 32% or more |
🦸 6. Key Measures for Older Adults
These are especially important when it comes to health in later life.