body weight

The term body weight is used colloquially and in the biological and medical sciences to refer to a person’s mass or weight. Body weight is measured in kilograms, a measure of mass, throughout the world, although in some countries such as the United States it is measured in pounds, or as in the United Kingdom, stones and pounds. Most hospitals, even in the United States, now use kilograms for calculations, but use kilograms and pounds together for other purposes. Strictly speaking, body weight is the measurement of weight without items located on the person. Practically though, body weight is measured with clothes on, but without shoes or heavy accessories such as mobile phones and wallets and using manual or digital weighing scales. Excess or reduced body weight is regarded as an indicator of determining a person’s health, with body volume measurement providing an extra dimension by calculating the distribution of body weight.