Ideal Body Weight (Devine)

The Devine formula gives an estimate of a healthy body weight based on height, using a simple linear rule. It was originally created to help clinicians estimate drug dosages when patient weight was not known, so it is best understood as a practical approximation rather than a medical ideal for every person. Because it uses height alone, it captures the general trend that taller people tend to weigh more, but it does not account for body frame, muscle mass, or body composition.

Use this formula when you need a quick reference weight estimate in clinical, fitness, or educational settings, especially for adults. It is commonly used as a baseline for medication dosing calculations or to compare an actual weight against an estimated standard.

• Using centimetres instead of inches in h
• Forgetting that the formula starts from 50 kg for men and a different base is used for women
• Treating the result as an exact target weight instead of an estimate