Using BMI to Measure Obesity
BMI, or Body Mass Index, has become the norm when putting people into categories of healthy weight. BMI simply calculates a number according to height and weight and then categorizes the person as under weight, average, over weight or obese. BMI is used in large population studies. In other words, when you hear figures such as 65% of American adults are overweight, they as basing it on BMI numbers.
Is BMI accurate? The short answer is no. There are so many variables to take into account when measuring obesity, simply using height and weight for calculations can give very misleading results. Bodybuilders for instance weigh in excess of 100kg, yet have very little body fat and are quite healthy. According to BMI numbers some are classified as morbidly obese. This is just an extreme example though. Many people have stocky builds, heavier bone density, varying genetics and the list goes on.
What is an accurate measure? Measuring body fat percentage is by far the best indicator of how healthy a person is. Whether you’re 60kg or 120kg body fat percentage does not lie. It also cancels out the need to take into account bone density and build. Body fat can be measured either by using calipers to measure the amount of fat, or with the use of electronic body fat meters. Calipers are more accurate, but still not 100%. Either way both are a much better way of gauging how healthy you are than using a BMI number.
Tags: BMI, fat, obesity, over weight
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