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Health screenings to be offered For more information and to receive a free fitness screening, visit the Wellness Wednesday booth from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Children’s Hospital lobby. The free fitness screenings include:  resting heart rate, blood pressure, height and weight, body mass index, waist and hip measurements and body fat percent.    Now is the time to get on track with fitness resolutions. High blood pressure and obesity are two of the major risk factors for heart disease that can be controlled and prevented by diet and exercise.     The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines ideal blood pressure as less than or equal to 120/80mm/Hg.   Uncontrollable risk factors for high blood pressure include age, race and family history.  Controllable risk factors include excess weight, inactivity, tobacco use, excess sodium and low potassium intake, alcohol use and how stress is managed.   Certain chronic conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea are additional risk factors for hypertension.   The body mass index (BMI) readings suggest a healthy weight range based on a person’s height and weight. Guidelines established by the NIH place adults age 20 and older into one of four categories, including underweight (BMI less than 18.5), healthy weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9), overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.9) and obese (BMI more than 30).   To determine your BMI divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. Web sites such as www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi will calculate your body mass index for you.    Additional information such as waist measurement, waist-to-hip ratio and percent body fat can be helpful in assessing health. Women should have a waist measurement below 35 inches while men should fall below 40 inches. The ideal waist-to-hip ratio for women younger than 60 years old is less than .86 and for men, less than .90.  For individuals older than 60, health risks increase with ratios greater than .90 for women and 1.03 for men.   The American Council on Exercise recommends percent body fat for women older than 18: 14-20 percent for the competitive athlete, 21-24 percent for fitness, 25-31percent is average and 32 percent+ is considered obese. Men should show 6-9 percent for the competitive athlete, 10-17 percent for fitness, 18-24 percent is average and 25 percent+ is considered obese.  Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health 1st. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.     Friday, Jan. 12, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.