BVI America created the app through a decade-long collaboration with Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and U.K. Medical Research Council, among other researchers. The collaborative developed a new formula to replace the standard body mass index measurement, called the body volume indicator.
BVI measures weight distribution as a ratio between total volume and abdominal volume. Its developers believe BVI is more precise than BMI because it estimates weight distribution around an individual’s organs, which helps assess risk for health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
BVI America encourages health and fitness professionals to use the app to calculate patients’ body composition, weight distribution and associated health risks. The app sends anonymous data to Mayo Clinic researchers, who will continue to develop and validate the BVI formula.
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