Digital and Analog Body Mass Index Calculating Device: A Comparative Study

Obesity is a major concern of health risk universally, which consequently results in adverse impact on overall health. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a noninvasive method employed to measure the body fat using the individual’s weight and height. The aim of this study is to develop an automated BMI measuring device using load cells, ultrasonic sensor and PIC microcontroller. Moreover, statistical analysis to estimate the accuracy of the analog and the designed BMI instrument is presented. The height and weight data were collected from 18 to 75 years old random 100 subjects, 68 males and 32 females, using both analogue and designed digital prototype. The mean analog readings of weight, height and BMI of the studied population were 65.75±14.78 Kg, 1.65±0.1 m, and 23.93±4.34 Kg m^-2 respectively. The analog data readings are relatively in agreement with their counterpart digital mean value of weight (62.14±12.92 Kg), height (1.58±0.093 m), and BMI (25±4.65 Kg m^-2). The correlation coefficient of the designed BMI instrument and the analog readings has shown the accuracy of 97.9 % (weight), 95.1 % (height) and 97 % (BMI). In the future, the developed prototype may be employed to enhance the practical knowledge and skills for students and trainers in education and vocational institutions.