The Body Volume Index (BVI) - Deployment of obesity solution for the NHS and WHO

The Body Volume Index (BVI) is the new digital measurement solution for healthcare and obesity prevention. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was invented in 1842, and being based upon total weight and height only does not accommodate or allow for any variances in body shape and weight distribution between different people. BVI is a technical solution that does now offer that opportunity, by measuring part-volumes, or weight distribution.

In 2022, the applicants provided the Body Volume Index as a potential solution to the recommendation of NICE to adopt Waist to Height ratio for the NHS. Manual measurement of the waist for the population was not possible at scale, so the inclusion of BVI was supported by NICE as the validated automatic measurement of the waist does not require close proximity to a person; important in the days of COVID-19 when distance between people is a necessity.

This new use of BVI within the NHS is a consequence of the successful inclusion of BVI into a specific collaboration with WHO to establish a suitable framework for adoption and deployment of BVI on a wider basis, to provide ancillary and more comprehensive data on both adults and children. NHS Healthcare Providers and Scientists who currently use BMI and other manual measures for the prediction of health risk will now have additional data to combat obesity and better assess individual patient needs. The project has been extended by one month given delays in decision making owing to recent NHS staff strikes.