Input weight

j
Input height in Input height in
cm inches
j j
ABSTRACT
Square height
j
Body mass Weightin
index (BMI) is a measure
Weight in of weight adjusted for height, calculated as
weight in kilograms inches
pounds divided by the square of height in meters (kg/m 2).This project
j j
intends to computerize the manual process of measuring Body Mass Index.
The clinical limitations BMI of BMI were considered, which include: wrong
Obtain weight
j
measurements, complex calculations, time consuming. BMI is a surrogate measure
j
of body fatness because it is a measure of excess weight rather than excess body
fat.
Factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, and muscle mass can influence the relationship
between BMI and< 25?
Is BMI body fat. Also,
Input height
Is BMIBMI
> 25? does not distinguish between excess fat,
muscle, or bone mass, j j
norj does it provide any indication of the distribution of fat
among individuals.
The aim of this research work is to design a BMI calculator for measuring the
weight of an individual so as to reduce excess weight (also called obesity). The
researcher
Weight used
and obesity is the following methods of data collection:
You are overweight and interview, observation,
questionnaire
Normal and examination of documents to source for information. The
obese
information was used to design the input and output system and also the system
flowchart. Microsoft Visual Basic.NET is used for programming the system with
ACCESS database as the data repository. In conclusion, using BMI calculator by
medical practitioners will help the medical practitioners to be able to measure and
treat patients that have excess weight. It is recommended that adequate staff
training should be adopted to ensure perpetual usage of the system. Also, good
maintenance routine should be applied to avoid inadvertent system failure.

0
 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of weight adjusted for height, calculated as

weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters (kg/m 2). Although

BMI is often considered an indicator of body fatness, it is a surrogate measure of

body fat because it measures excess weight rather than excess fat. Despite this fact,

studies have shown that BMI is correlated to more direct measures of body fat,

such as underwater weighing and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry.

BMI is a simple, inexpensive, and noninvasive surrogate measure of body fat. In

contrast to other methods, BMI relies solely on height and weight and with access

to the proper equipment, individuals can have their BMI routinely measured and

calculated with reasonable accuracy.

Furthermore, studies have shown that BMI levels correlate with body fat and with

future health risks. High BMI predicts future morbidity and death. Therefore, BMI

is an appropriate measure for screening for obesity and its health risks.

Lastly, the widespread and longstanding application of BMI contributes to its

utility at the population level. Its use has resulted in an increased availability of

1
published population data that allows public health professionals to make

comparisons across time, regions, and population subgroups.

The clinical limitations of BMI should be considered. BMI is a surrogate measure

of body fatness because it is a measure of excess weight rather than excess body

fat.

Factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, and muscle mass can influence the relationship

between BMI and body fat. Also, BMI does not distinguish between excess fat,

muscle, or bone mass, nor does it provide any indication of the distribution of fat

among individuals.

1.2 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The BMI calculator was invented by Adolphe Quetelet between 1830 and 1850. A

scientist named Ancel Keys first used the term body mass index in 1972. He wrote

that governments should measure the BMI of adults to find out whether they are

too fat or too thin. It was basically designed to help health practitioners measure

the weight of their patients when they visit the hospital especially pregnant women,

to regulate the weight of their babies.

Generally, the Body Mass Index Calculator will be designed to help medical

practitioners measure the body weight of their patients. However there are some

factors that affect the actual measurement of the body mass index.

2
 The following are some examples of how certain variables can influence the

interpretation of BMI:

• On average, older adults tend to have more body fat than younger adults for an

equivalent BMI.

• On average, women have greater amounts of total body fat than men with an

equivalent BMI.

• Muscular individuals, or highly-trained athletes, may have a high BMI because of

increased muscle mass.

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over the years disease diagnosis has been the sole work of medical practitioners

who spend most of their time on trying to interview obese patients to know the

cause of the disease (obesity) and thereby prescribing cure for the disease.

However, this method has some problems associated with it and they include:

1. Wrong measurements on the Doctors part.

2. It involves complex calculations which are tedious.

3. It is time consuming as patient will be interviewed one after the other.

3
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to Design a Body Mass Index Calculator that

will be used by health practitioners to measure the weight of their patients so

that overweight and obese patients can be diagnosed and treated adequately.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This project work covers the application of Body Mass Index Calculator to be used

by health practitioners to measure the weight of their patients that are in deictic

unit of Federal Medical Center Owerri. But with more effort and further research,

the system can be amended to suit other hospitals.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The essence of this research project is to provide a better measurement and

diagnostic system that is reliable, consistent, accurate and available always for

deictic unit of Federal Medical Center, Owerri.

The project research was not just designed to identify the problem that was existing

in the old system of operation, rather it was designed to specifically come up with

a more resound and effective system that will not only counteract this problem but

also provide a detailed future plan that will give room for more information

technological improvement in the deictic unit of Federal Medical Center Owerri.

4
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Usually, every work has some limitations and this study is not exempted. In the

course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which

are;

1. Lack of finance: Lack of finance hindered further research on this topic.

2. Time: Time was a major constraint faced during the research for this project

work. A more comprehensive and generic web application would have been

designed and implemented. Due to the limited amount of time given for this

research, limited effort was employed and as a result limited utilities were

provided.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. BMI: This a measurement that shows the amount of fat in your body and

that is based on on your weight and height

2. Dietic:This is a relation to the food and beverage a person consumes

3. Obesity: A condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and

storage of fat in the body

4. Surrogate: A thing or person that takes the place of something or someone

else, as a drug used in place of another

5. Diagnosis: This is the process of determinng which disease or condition

explains a person’s symptoms and signs

5
6. Information: This refers to facts or details that you get about something or

subject that will be used for improvement

7. Bone mass: A measure of bone density

8. Morbidity: This refers to the incidence of a disease

9. Absorptiometry: This is the measurement of the amount of radiation

absorbed (as by living tissue) especially to determine density

10. Overweight: This is a state between normal weight and obesity

6
 CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The Body Mass Index (BMI) or Quetelet index is a value derived from the mass

(weight) and height of an individual. The BMI is defined as the body mass divided

by the square of the body height, and is universally expressed in units of kg/m2,

resulting from mass in kilograms and height in meters. The BMI may also be

determined using a table e.g Body Mass Index Table from the National Institutes

of Health's NHLBI or chart which displays BMI as a function of mass and height

using contour lines or colors for different BMI categories, and may use two

different units of measurement. For example, in the UK where people often know

their weight in stone and height in feet and inches, Keys, Ancel; Fidanza,

Flaminio; Karvonen, Martti J.; Kimura, Noboru; Taylor, Henry L. (1972) also used

this procedure to analyze relative weight and obesity.

The BMI is an attempt to quantify the amount of tissue mass (muscle, fat, and

bone) in an individual, and then categorize that person as underweight, normal

weight, overweight, or obese based on that value. However, there is some debate

about where on the BMI scale the dividing lines between categories should be

placed, Dr Malcolm Kendrick (April 12, 2015). "Why being 'overweight' means

7
you live longer: The way scientists twist the facts". Commonly accepted BMI

ranges are underweight: under 18.5, normal weight: 18.5 to 25, overweight: 25 to

30, obese: over 30.

There are criticisms of using the BMI to define obesity in individuals, Sun Albert

(August 28, 2015). "How Often Is B.M.I. Misleading?"New York Times.

Retrieved August 31, 2015. One is that the BMI was designed for population

studies, not individuals. Another is that body fat percentage (BFP) is a more

reliable indicator of obesity than BMI: very muscular, lean (low body fat)

individuals can be classified as obese using BMI, but are classified as having a

normal weight using BFP. An even simpler alternative to the BMI is to define

obese individuals as those whose waist circumference is greater than 50% of their

height, indicating excess intra-abdominal fat.

2.2 THE HISTORY OF BMI

A Belgian polymath named as Adolphe Quetelet devised what we now know as the

BMI equation in 1832 as a way to define the “normal man.”  He never intended for

the equation (weight equals height squared) to be used to determine body fat, his

project was intended to describe the standard proportions of the human build.  The

equation was largely ignored by the medical community even though insurance

companies began using somewhat vague comparisons of height and weight among

8
policy holders beginning in the early twentieth century.  Slate writer Jeremy

Singer-Vine doesn’t go in much detail about these tables, but I’ve written on their

history.

Medical researchers searched for an accurate, uniform way to measure fatness for

decades when in 1972, physiology professor and obesity researcher Ancel Keys

published his “Indices of Relative Weight and Obesity,” a landmark study of more

than 7,400 men in five countries.  Keys considered the various height-weight

formulas in existence and found Quetelet’s equation to be the best marker of body-

fat percentage.  He renamed this number the body mass index or BMI.  As Singer-

Vine reports, the new number caught on among researchers who had previously

relied on slower and more expensive measures of body fat or on the broad and

ambiguous categories defined by the insurance companies.  The number also

sowed the seeds for the later and continuing bombardment of anti-obesity

research.  “The cheap and easy BMI test allowed [researchers] to plan and execute

ambitious new studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants and to go

back through troves of historical height and weight data and estimate levels of

obesity in previous decades,” writes Singer-Vine.

At first BMI was used by epidemiologists in studies of population health, but was

quickly adopted by doctors who wanted a quick and easy way to measure body fat

9
in their patients.  By 1985, the National Institutes of Health began defining obesity

according to body mass index.  At first, the thresholds were established at 27.8 for

men and 27.3 for women.  Then in 1998, the NIH consolidated the threshold for

men and women — even though the relationship between BMI and body fat is

different by sex — and added the category of overweight.  The new, drastically

lowered thresholds were now 25 for overweight and 30 for obesity.  It’s worth

adding here that many who were on the “independent” board making the

recommendations for the new lower cutoffs had ties to the commercial weight-loss

industry and stood to profit financially should more people be considered

overweight and obese.

Here’s the kicker: Like Quetelet, Keys never intended for BMI to be used in this

way.  In fact, his original paper warned against using BMI for individual

diagnoses, since the equation ignores variables like a person’s age or gender, and I

would also add, also their ethnicity, frame size and muscle mass ratio. Writes

Singer-Vine:

It’s one thing to estimate the average percent body fat for large groups with diverse

builds, Keys argued, but quite another to slap a number and label on someone

without regard for these factors…  Now Keys’ misgivings are gaining traction

10
across the world of medicine: BMI simply doesn’t work when it comes to

individual measurements.

No matter how attentive they might be, health professionals have increasingly used

body mass index to justify lifestyle recommendations for their patients. And online

BMI calculators—there’s even one hosted by the NIH—invite people to diagnose

themselves without any medical supervision whatsoever. Faulty readings could

promote a negative self-image among healthy people and lead them to pursue

unnecessary diets. Or the opposite problem: People with a little too much body fat

might be lulled into a false sense of complacency by a misleading BMI.

Singer-Vine points out (as I’ve noted before) that waist-to-hip ratios are a much

more accurate way of determining the kinds of body fat that might actually pose

health risks. And WHR, as it’s called, is just as easy and quick to record as BMI

yet few doctors have made the switch.  Why?  WHR require slightly more time and

training than it takes to record BMI and they don’t come with any official cutoffs

that can be used to make easy assessments. “The body mass index is cheap and

easy, and it has the incumbent advantage,” concludes Singer-Vine.  “In short, BMI

is here to stay—despite, but also because of, its flaws.”

11
2.3 USAGE OF BMI

The index was devised by AdolpheQuetelet from 1830 to 1850 during which time

he developed what he called "social physics" Eknoyan, Garabed (2007).

"AdolpheQuetelet (1796–1874)—the average man and indices of obesity".

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation23 (1). The modern term "body mass index"

(BMI) for the ratio of human body weight to squared height owes its popularity to

a paper published in the July 1972 edition of the Journal of Chronic Diseases by

Ancel Keys. This found the BMI to be the best proxy for body fat percentage

among ratios of human body weight and height. Jeremy Singer-Vine (July 20,

2009). "Beyond BMI: Why doctors won't stop using an outdated measure for

obesity". Slate.com. Retrieved 15 December 2013.

The interest in an index that measures body fatcame with increasing obesity in

prosperous Western societies. BMI was explicitly cited by Keys as appropriate for

population studies and inappropriate for individual evaluation. Nevertheless, due to

its simplicity, it has come to be widely used for preliminary diagnosis"Assessing

Your Weight and Health Risk". National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Retrieved 19 December 2014. Additional metrics, such as waist circumference, can

be more useful"Defining obesity". NHS. Retrieved 19 December 2014.

12
If pounds and inches are used, a conversion factor of 703 (kg/m2)/(lb/in2) must be

applied. When the term BMI is used informally, the units are usually omitted.

BMI ranges from underweight to obese and is commonly employed among

children and adults to predict health outcomes. The BMI trait is influenced by both

genetic and non-genetic factors, and it provides a paradigm to understand and

estimate the risk factors for health problems. Fareed M, Afzal M. (2014) Evidence

of inbreeding depression on height, weight, and body mass index: A population-

based child cohort study. Am J Hum Biol. 26:784–795.

BMI provides a simple numeric measure of a person's thickness or thinness,

allowing health professionals to discuss weight problems more objectively with

their patients. BMI was designed to be used as a simple means of classifying

average sedentary (physically inactive) populations, with an average body

composition"Physical Status: The Use and Interpretation of Anthropometry"

(PDF). WHO Technical Report Series (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health

Organization) 854: 9. 1995. PMID 8594834. For these individuals, the current

value recommendations are as follow: a BMI from 18.5 up to 25 may indicate

13
optimal weight, a BMI lower than 18.5 suggests the person is underweight, a

number from 25 up to 30 may indicate the person is overweight, and a number

from 30 upwards suggests the person is obese"Assessing Your Weight and Health

Risk". National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Retrieved 19 December 2014.

Many (e.g. gymnasts, basketball and soccer players) but not all (e.g. football

linemen) athletes have a high muscle to fat ratio and may have a BMI that is

misleadingly high relative to their body fat percentage.

2.4 BMI PRIME

BMI Prime, a simple modification of the BMI system, is the ratio of actual BMI to

upper limit BMI (currently defined at BMI 25). As defined, BMI Prime is also the

ratio of body weight to upper body-weight limit, calculated at BMI 25. Since it is

the ratio of two separate BMI values, BMI Prime is a dimensionless number

without associated units. Individuals with BMI Prime less than 0.74 are

underweight; those with between 0.74 and 1.00 have optimal weight; and those at

1.00 or greater are overweight. BMI Prime is useful clinically because individuals

can tell, at a glance, by what percentage they deviate from their upper weight

limits.

For instance, a person with BMI 34 has a BMI Prime of 34/25 = 1.36, and is 36%

over his or her upper mass limit. In South East Asian and South Chinese

14
populations (see international variation section below), BMI Prime should be

calculated using an upper limit BMI of 23 in the denominator instead of 25.

Nonetheless, BMI Prime allows easy comparison between populations whose

upper-limit BMI values differ. Gadzik, James (2006). "'How much should I

weigh?' Quetelet's equation, upper weight limits, and BMI prime". Connecticut

Medicine70 (2): 81–8. PMID 16768059.

2.5 BMI IN CHILDREN (AGED 2 TO 20)

BMI is used differently for children. It is calculated in the same way as for adults,

but then compared to typical values for other children of the same age. Instead of

comparison against fixed thresholds for underweight and overweight, the BMI is

compared against the percentile for children of the same gender and age. "Body

Mass Index: BMI for Children and Teens". Center for Disease Control. Retrieved

2013-12-16.

A BMI that is less than the 5th percentile is considered underweight and above the

95th percentile is considered obese. Children with a BMI between the 85th and

95th percentile are considered to be overweight.

Recent studies in Britain have indicated that females between the ages 12 and 16

have a higher BMI than males of the same age by 1.0 kg/m2 on average. "Health

15
Survey for England: The Health of Children and Young People". Archive2.official-

documents.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2013.

2.6 HOW TO CALCULATE BMI

2.6.1 metric method of calculating bmi

The metric formula accepts height measurements in meters and weight in

kilograms. If you know your height in centimeters only, simply divide the number

of centimeters by 100 convert it to meters.

For example, a person who is 183cms tall is 1.83m tall (183cm / 100 = 1.83m).

Using the metric formula is even easier than the imperial method as it's a two step

process

1. Multiply your height by itself.

2. Divide your weight in kilograms by the value calculated in step 1.

The resulting number is your BMI. Compare this BMI value with the weight status

table below.

16
Example:

Paul weighs 150kgs and is 1.8m tall. He wants to know if he is overweight.

1. First we multiply Paul's height by itself: 1.8 x 1.8 = 3.24 ²

Next we divide Paul's weight by his height in meters ² just calculated: 150 / 3.24 =

46.3

Paul's BMI is 46.3

We compare this value to the weight categories listed on the BMI table and find

that he is obese.

2.6.2 Imperial method of calculating bmi

The imperial formula accepts height measurements in inches and weight in pounds.

It's popular in the US where the imperial system is mostly used. Many people

know their height in feet and inches, but not in inches only.

17
If this applies to you, we need to convert your height into inches so we can use it in

the equation. There are 12 inches in a foot, szo multiply your number of feet by 12

and add them to the number of extra inches.

For example, if your height is 5 feet 10 inches, multiply 5 by 12 (which give 60")

and add them to the extra 10 inches (which gives 70").

Now we have the right measurements we can use them in the formula.

There are three simple steps for computing BMI with imperial values:

1. Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.

2. Multiply your height in inches by itself

3. Divide the figure from step 1 by the figure in step 3.

The resulting number is your BMI. Compare this BMI value with the weight status

table below.

Example:

Jane weighs 150lbs and is 5 feet 4 inches tall. She wants to know if she is

overweight.

Jane's height in inches is (5 * 12) + 4 = 64"

18
1. Using the first part of the formula we multiply her weight by 703. 150 * 703 =

105450

2. Using the second part of the formula we multiply Jane's height by itself. 64 x 64

= 4096

3. Finally we divide the first figure by the second. 105450 / 4096 = 25.74

Jane's BMI is 25.74

We compare this value to the weight categories listed on the BMI table and find

that she is overweight.

2.7 THE APPLICATION OF BMI

The BMI is generally used as a means of correlation between groups related by

general mass and can serve as a vague means of estimating adiposity. The duality

of the BMI is that, while it is easy to use as a general calculation, it is limited as to

how accurate and pertinent the data obtained from it can be. Generally, the index is

suitable for recognizing trends within sedentary or overweight individuals because

there is a smaller margin of error. Jeukendrup, A.; Gleeson, M. (2005). Sports

Nutrition. Human Kinetics: An Introduction to Energy Production and

Performance. ISBN 978-0-7360-3404-3.The BMI has been used by the WHO as

the standard for recording obesity statistics since the early 1980s.
19
This general correlation is particularly useful for consensus data regarding obesity

or various other conditions because it can be used to build a semi-accurate

representation from which a solution can be stipulated, or the RDA for a group can

be calculated. Similarly, this is becoming more and more pertinent to the growth of

children, due to the fact that the majority of children are sedentary. Barasi, M. E.

(2004). Human Nutrition – a health perspective. ISBN 0-340-81025-4

Clinical Practice

BMI categories are generally regarded as a satisfactory tool for measuring whether

sedentary individuals are underweight, overweight or obese with various

exceptions, such as: athletes, children, the elderly, and the infirm. Also, the growth

of a child is documented against a BMI-measured growth chart. Obesity trends can

then be calculated from the difference between the child's BMI and the BMI on the

chart. In the United States, BMI is also used as a measure of underweight, owing to

advocacy on behalf of those with eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and

bulimianervosa

Legislation

In France, Israel, Italy and Spain, legislation has been introduced banning usage of

fashion show models having a BMI below 18 http://time.com/3770696/france-

20
banned-ultra-thin-models/In Israel, a BMI below 18.5 is banned. Israeli Law Bans

Skinny, BMI-Challenged Models This is done in order to fight anorexia among

models and people interested in fashion.

2.8 LIMITATION OF BMI FORMULA

There's no question that the body mass index calculation has been useful for some

physicians.

However, since its creation many have stated that this method of calculating BMI

is not fit for purpose.

BMI does not take into account other factors which may affect a person’s height or

weight:

 Body builders and athletes with a high proportion of muscle mass.

 The elderly (whose height and muscle mass may fall over time), frail people,

and those affected by certain illnesses.

 Lactating or pregnant women.

 Children and teenagers who have not reached physical maturity and are still

growing.

 A tendency for natural differences in height and weight ratios between races.

21
 CHAPTER THREE

SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with system analysis and design of the new system. System

analysis is a structured process of collecting and analyzing facts with respect to the

existing operating procedures in order to obtain a full appreciation of the situation

prevailing. It is important to ensure that an effective computerized system can be

designed and implemented when proved feasible. According to E.C Chapman R.J.

“System analysis is defined as the method of determining how best to use

computer with other resources to perform tasks which meet the information needs

of an establishment. Before moving into the major design of the proposed system

the existing system needs to be analyzed in order to identify their weaknesses.

This chapter also deals with the new System design which includes the coding,

testing and integration and maintenance of the new system was also introduced in

this chapter.

3.2 SYSTEM ANALYSIS

System analysis is a thorough and comprehensive study carried out on an existing

system. Here, the short coming of the existing system is taken into consideration

and the areas that prove unsatisfactory to the needs of the users are worked upon in

22
order to design a new system that will meet the user’s needs. The detailed sampling

was carried out into two parts based on the method of data collection.

3.2.1 Detailed definition of the problem

After the collection of data, some observation and analysis were made concerning

the present system.

The body mass index (BMI) formula uses height and weight to determine a

person's amount of body fat. BMI classifies persons in four different weight

ranges: underweight, normal, overweight and obese. While BMI is a fast and easy

way to assess body fat content, its limitations question the effectiveness and

appropriateness of using BMI as a true measurement of body fat. The American

Council on Exercise recommends assessing BMI in conjunction with other body

composition assessments to guarantee accuracy.

a. Not a Direct Measurement of Fat

While height and weight influence body fat, they are not direct measurements of

total body fat percentage. BMI does not distinguish between bones, fat and

muscles. A 2000 study conducted by the Children's Nutrition Research Center at

Baylor College (CNRC) compared participants' BMI results to the results of a body

fat percentage test. The study found that one out of six children who scored normal

on the BMI scored a high percentage of body fat. One out of four children labeled

23
as obese by the BMI scored a normal percentage of body fat. According to CNC,

incorrect BMI categorization may prevent some people from receiving necessary

weight loss help and may mislabel others as overweight when they have a healthy

percentage of body fat.

b. Fat Overestimation of Athletes

BMI relies on a person's entire weight. The body is composed of two different

types of mass: fat-free mass and fat mass. Fat-free mass includes the bones, organs

and muscles. Fat mass contains only adipose tissue, or fat. BMI does not

distinguish fat-free mass from fat mass. While the body weight of an athlete may

be high, her body composition may be muscular and lean. When a person loses fat

and replaces it with muscle, she may not lose overall weight. BMI does not

distinguish between lean muscle mass and fat in athletes. According to the

American Council on Exercise, assessing an athlete's BMI may cause frustration

and confusion about her body -- while she may be healthy, the chart may classify

her as overweight.

c. Fat Underestimation of Thin and Elderly Persons

Height and weight measurements may place elderly persons and persons who are

thin into the healthy weight category, without taking any other body composition

24
factors into consideration. While a thin person may fall into a healthy weight range

based on her height and weight, she may have a high percentage of body fat and

minimal amounts of lean muscle mass. It is common for the elderly to lose muscle

mass and weight as they age, and BMI results may represent this rather than a

healthy weight.

3.2.2 Feasibility Study

The main objective of a feasibility study is to test the technical, social, and

economic feasibility of developing a computer system.

This is done by investigating the existing system and generating ideas about a new

system. The proposed system(s) must be evaluated from a technical point of view

first and if feasible their impact on the organization and staff must be accessed. If

compatible, social and technical systems can be devised then they must be tested

for economic feasibility. In this project work, a through feasibility study was

carried out to ensure that the software to be designed in this project work will

provide the needed solution

3.3 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

Fact finding method is a collection of procedures, technique tools and document

aids, which will help system developers in their efforts to implement a new

information system (computer). During the causes of investigation, the researcher

25
adopted some research, which includes: Interview method, observation method and

examination of documents.

A technique is a way of doing a particular activity in the system development may

recommend techniques to carry out its activities, while tool are instruments that

can be in applying techniques. Therefore, to examine methodology carefully, the

following will be considered.

3.3.1 Interview Method: This is the mode of collecting data through face to face

discussion with useful resource provider. To make this method successful, the

interviewer applied the following approach; strategy, this is actually approaching

the person to be interviewed in the manner that would create convenience for

him/her.

 Irrelevant question were avoided

 Interruption between answer was applied

 Differentiation between one option and facts was made.

 Jargons and term that the interviewer understands were used.

3.3.2 Observation Method: In this mode of collecting data and facts, the

researcher went to the case of study to observe the workers at work, in the method

of observation systematic observation and adequate concentration was given to the

26
workers, which made the researcher discover what the interviewer was not able to

provide.

3.3.3 Examination of Document: This is the mode of sourcing for data or fact,

collection involves examination of the document used by the Medical centre (FMC

OWERRI) in processing patient’s details for identification and advice

3.3.4 Review of procedure manual or existing system/procedure

The body mass index or BMI or Quetelet index is a statistical measurement, which

actually compares a person's weight as well as height. That does not mean that it

does measure the percentage of body fat, rather BMI is used to estimate a healthy

body weight, which is based on the height of the person. As it is very easy to

measure and calculate, BMI is the most widely used diagnostic tool in order to

identify weight problem within an individual, be he is underweight, or overweight

or even obese. In a different way to define it, body mass index (BMI) may be

defined as the individual's body weight, which is divided by the square of his

height.

THINGS NEEDED: a weighing machine (a scale), a marked wall or a to measure

height (preferably in meter or inches)

27
STEP 1:

Measure the person’s weight on the weighing machine. Only light clothing should

be worn. Record your result.

STEP2:

Stand straight on the marked wall to determine the height. Do not wear a shoe or

sandals. Record your result.

Step 3:

Square the result of the height

STEP 4:

Find the subject BMI with one of the two formulas, depending on the wall

calibration.

BMI= (Weight of the body in pound) X 703

(Height in inches) X (Height in inches)

OR

BMI = (Weight of the body in kilogram

(Height in meters) X (Height in meters)

Underweight = <18.5 Normal weight = 18.5–24.9 Overweight = 25–29.9

Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

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3.3.4 Evaluation of forms

Some forms are necessary and available were accessed. These include patient’s

registration form, payment slip, cash receipt etc. these forms help in the design of

the new system.

This is how the BMI FORM looks like:

Your weight: ------------------------------------------(kg)

Your height: ------------------------------------------(m)

BMI Result: ------------------------------------------ (message)

3.4 PROBLEMS OF EXISTING SYSTEM OR DRAWBACKS IDENTIFIED

IN THE PRESENT SYSTEM

1. BMI does not differentiate between the Michelin Man and The Terminator

Ok, we might as well just get this abundantly obvious problem out of the way. I

have heard countless times how one buff celebrity or another (e.g. Tom Cruise,

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Rock etc.) would be classified as overweight or obese

according to their BMI due to their excess amount of muscle. Yes, this is

absolutely true. BMI is a measure of relative weight; fat mass and muscle mass are

not distinguished. Here’s what is equally true: the large majority of the general

population with a BMI in the overweight or obese range does not look like Jerry

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Maguire or the Terminator. Also, if you seek advice from your physician about

your “excess weight”, in case you have body dysmorphic and cannot yourself

decide, they will quickly be able to assess whether your excess weight is due to

your bulging muscles or your rolls of adipose tissue. So while this is an obvious

problem, I would argue not the main issue.

2. BMI does not differentiate between apples and pears

For over 60 years, we have known that independent of how heavy a person is, the

distribution of their body weight, or more generally the shape of their body is a key

predictor of health risk. It is now well established that individuals who deposit

much of their body weight around their midsection, the so called apple-shaped, are

at much greater risk of disease and early mortality in contrast to the so called pear-

shaped, who carry their weight more peripherally, particularly in the lower body.

Thus, two individuals with a BMI of 32 kg/m2 could have drastically different

body shapes, and thus varying risk of disease and early mortality.

Fortunately, a very simple measure allows you or your physician to decide whether

you’re elevated BMI is of the apple or pear variety: waist circumference. Current

thresholds suggest that a waist circumference above 88 cm in women and 102cm in

men denotes abdominal obesity. Interestingly, for the same BMI level, those

individuals with an elevated waist circumference have a greater risk of diabetes,

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cardiovascular disease, mortality, and numerous other health outcomes. Thus, as

studies from our laboratory have consistently suggested, waist circumference may

be a more important measure of obesity and health risk than BMI. Currently, most

researchers would agree that waist circumference should be measured along with

BMI to adequately classify obesity-related health risk.

You can measure your own waist circumference by using a tape measure and

wrapping it around your abdomen, at the level of the top of your hip bones. Make

sure you measure at the end of exhalation, without sucking in your gut – you’re

only fooling yourself!

3. BMI does not always budge in response to lifestyle change

This could be said to be the biggest drawback of using BMI: it doesn’t always

change even though you may be getting healthier. This is particularly so if you

adopt a physically active lifestyle, along with a balanced diet, but are not

necessarily cutting a whole lot of calories. This lack of change in BMI or body

weight is all too often interpreted as a failure, resulting in the disappointed

individual resuming their inactive lifestyle and unhealthy eating patterns.

However, as we have argued most recently in a paper in the Canadian Journal of

Cardiology, several lines of evidence suggest that weight loss or changes in BMI

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are not absolutely necessary to observe substantial health benefit from a healthy

lifestyle. Thus, an apparent resistance to weight-loss should never be a reason for

stopping your healthy behaviors.

First, it is well established that increasing physical activity and associated

improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with profound reductions

in coronary heart disease and related mortality independent of weight or BMI.

Second, exercise (even a single session) is associated with substantial reduction in

several cardio metabolic risk factors (such as blood pressure, glucose tolerance,

blood lipids, etc.) despite minimal or no change in body weight. Third, waist

circumference and abdominal fat (arguably, the most dangerous fat) can be

substantively reduced (10-20%) in response to exercise with minimal or no weight

loss. In fact, significant reductions in fat mass often occur concurrent with equal

increases in muscle mass in response to physical activity – equal but opposite (and

beneficial!) changes which are not detected by alterations in body weight on the

bathroom scale, and thus BMI.

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3.5 DATA PREPARATION

Data preparation is the most ‘mechanical’ of the stages of a research project. Data

preparation is about constructing a dataset from one or more data sources to be

used for exploration and modeling. It is a solid practice to start with an initial

dataset to get familiar with the data, to discover first insights into the data and have

a good understanding of any possible data quality issues. Data preparation is often

a time consuming process and heavily prone to errors. The old saying “garbage-in-

garbage-out” is particularly applicable to those data mining projects where data

gathered with many invalid, out-of-range and missing values. Analyzing data that

has not been carefully screened for such problems can produce highly misleading

results. Then, the success of data mining projects heavily depends on the quality of

the prepared data. As it was mentioned, different datasets for different entities were

used in this project in which each of the datasets had their own quality and

structure. Data to be supplied in any database must be appraised in terms of

quality. Quality comprises components, namely, accuracy, logical consistency,

resolution, completeness, time, lineage, and so on. Various tests had been carried

out by the researcher on the selected data sets to examine the quality parameters.

For example, the patient’s registration table and result table records are two

important characteristics that had been accessed by the System.

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3.6 USER PREPARATION

Every software project must provide a way to incorporate targeted users of the

software during the development process to ensure it usability. This calls for the

creation of a simple and instructive user interface. User interface is a means by

which the user and a computer system interact, in particular the use of input

devices and software. The user interface of the new system was designed to be

self-explanatory and contain components that prepare the user for the operation of

the system.

3.7 SYSTEM CONTROL

BMI

WELCOME REGISTER LOG OUT

LOGIN CALCULATE BMI

VIEW RESULT

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3.8 SYSTEM REQUIREMENT

Specification of Software and Hardware requirement

This system is menu driven that is, it runs under users’ control. Any literate user

can operate it. The user is therefore required to press keys presented on the menu

screen as is appropriate to his / her choice of operation. The pressing of a wrong

key does not result to serious errors in system execution. When the error occurs it

might be neglected by the screen. This section deals with the specification of the

requirements which must be met for the proper operation of the new system and

must be viewed carefully.

1. Software requirements

2. Hardware requirements

1. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

This requirement includes the types of complete programs written by

manufacturers of computer firms for particular or general-purpose applications.

This system software serves as buffer between user and system software and

hardware. They are programs written in one of the high level language which are

specific in action. The system software is a program that contributes to the control

and performance of the computer system. Software requirement has to do with the

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basic software needs of the system which ensures smooth operation and

performance of the overall system. For this work to be functional, the software

requirements must include the following:

1. Microsoft Windows XPProfessional or a higher operating system.

2. VB.NET programming language.

3. Access Database

2. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

Hardware requirements have to do with the basic hardware the system needs for

optimum performance. They are as follow:

1. System Unit

2. 101- Enhanced Keyboard

3. Optical PS 2 Mouse

4. 14` Color VGA Display Monitor or higher

5. X86 Family CPU with 796MHz clock speed or higher

6. 256MB of RAM or higher

7. Minimum of 500MB free hard disk space

8. Printer, Laser or Desk Jet.

3. PEOPLE

A Software designed for a particularly task must have to be operated by people. In

this project work the people include the patient who may stay in their location to

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check for the BMI. Also the staffs and admin in various hospitals is the most

targeted people for this software.

3.9 FILE MAINTENANCE MODULE

File maintenance module is a module in system development project that creates

and stores files in the system, for proper maintenance of different module involved

in the project.

3.10 MAIN MENU SPECIFICATION

The main menu of this software appears immediately the software package is

opened; the first page that appears is called the index page. It displays the main

menu of the application which includes Administrator, patients and Staff.

3.10.1 Input specification

The program design involves some forms input in order to achieve or derive the

required output. These forms relate to patient account opening transaction details.

The form are designed in the system are expected to be used to capture program

input or user data.

To evaluate the quality of the design representations we established criteria for

good design. The following are guideline towards it.

1. A good design should lead modules. (procedures of subroutine that

habit independent functional characteristics)

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2. Hierarchical Organization that makes intelligent use of the control

among the element of software.

3. A good design should be modular, which should be logically and

sub-functions.

The above characteristics can be considered. Each field and the output should be

assigning a name specification. A field has to be checked for the following:

 If the field is alpha numeric (A) or Numeric (N)

 Check for blank space

THE INPUT FORM

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3.10.2 Output specification design

The output is stored in an access database and also gotten from a printer; a laser

printer will be required which will print a whole page at a time rather than

line by line.

3.10 .3 Database Specification

Structure of the master file

Patient Registration table

FIELD NAME TYPE SIZE

Patient Name Text 50

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Sex Text 4

Date Numeric 8

Address Text 100

Age numeric 8

L.G.A/State Text 15

Phone No Numeric 10

Occupation Text 20

Result table

Field Name Type size

Weight Double 5

Height Double 5

BMI Double 100

Result Double 150

Comment Text 200

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 3.11 OBJECTIVE OF THE NEW DESIGN

The BMI must at least achieve these four objectives more than the existing system:

i. One of the objectives of this system is to assure accuracy in the calculation

of BMI in as much as correct inputs are made.

ii. To ensure that personel use this system to avoid advantage of not

calculating BMI.

iii. To avoid time wasting in the calculation of BMI

iv. Quick result.

3.12 OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM S FLOWCHART

Document

Input from key

Board

Process Data

Database Storage Internal Storage

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3.12.1 SYSTEM FLOWCHART

SEVERAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES USED FOR DESIGNING THE

SYSTEM
Start

Register

Login

Are Login detail correct? NO

Yes

Calculate BMI

Save Result

Store Data to Database

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Stop
1. DATA FLOW DIAGRAM

Input for Input for

Registration Register Login Login

Login detail

Input for Weight, height, square height Calculate BMI

calculating
BMI

Result to
database

Log out

2. DATA DICTIONARY

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Data dictionary also known as data about data, is a component of database

management system or any data related system that stores definitions of data

elements, other characteristics of the data elements such as usage patterns,

ownership, relationships among data, where is resides and security related details

about it.

Data elements Description Module used

Login This a term used to indicate access Admin Login Module and

to a system user module

Password This is another authentication data Admin Module and user

item. module

User ID This is a data item that holds the User module

username of a user

3. STRUCTURED ENGLISH

Structured English specifications requirement is used to identify the

conditions which occur in a process and also identify the decisions which

make these conditions occur. It also forces the analyst to find alternative

actions to be taken.

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Calculating BMI

Step1: start

Step2: login

Step3: register a user

Step4: compute BMI for a patient

Step5: submit the input and output to database

Step6: stop

4. DECISION TABLE

A decision table is an excellent tool to use in both testing and requirements

management. Essentially it is a structured exercise to formulate requirements

when dealing with complex business rules. Decision tables are used to

model complicated logic.

Height in inches Weight in Kilogram output

YES No No result

NO YES No result

NO NO No result

YES YES Display Result

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5. DECISION TREE

A decision tree is a decision support tool that uses a tree-like graph or

model of decisions and their possible consequences, including chance event

outcomes, resource costs, and utility. It is one way to display an algorithm.

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