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Schofield equation

estimates daily calorie needs based on age, gender, and weight

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 17, 2026
Entity authorityQ7432001
Source-derived summary

The Schofield Equation is a method of estimating the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of adult men and women published in 1985.

This is the equation used by the WHO in their technical report series. The equation that is recommended to estimate BMR by the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation.

The equations for estimating BMR in kJ/day (kilojoules per day) from the body mass W (kg) are:

Men:

Women:

The equations for estimating BMR in kcal/day (kilocalories per day) from body mass (kg) are:

Men:

Women:

Key:

W = Body weight in kilograms

SEE = Standard error of estimation

The raw figure obtained by the equation should be adjusted up or downwards, within the confidence limit suggested by the quoted estimation errors, and according to the following principles:

Subjects leaner and more muscular than usual require more energy than the average.

Obese subjects require less.

Patients at the young end of the age range for a given equation require more energy.

Patients at the high end of the age range for a given equation require less energy.

Effects of age and body mass may cancel out: an obese 30-year-old or an athletic 60-year-old may need no adjustment from the raw figure.

Physical activity levels

To find total body energy expenditure (actual energy needed per day), the base metabolism must then be multiplied by a physical activity level factor.

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“Schofield equation” enters the record as estimates daily calorie needs based on age, gender, and weight. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Schofield, equation and estimates can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1985—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Schofield, equation and estimates.
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This entry incorporates text from Schofield equation” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.