Jezebel: body mass index

Shocking yet true, body mass index isn't...

Jennifer — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:45:00 EST

Shocking yet true, body mass index isn't always the best indicator of a person's physical and mental health. But know what is? Asking a person if he or she thinks she should weigh less. The desire to drop pounds due to "social constructs that surround ideal body types", it turns out, is a pretty good indicator of compromised health, reports a study coming out of Columbia University. Says Peter Muennig, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management, "Younger persons, Whites, and women are disproportionately affected by negative body image concerns, and these groups unduly suffer from BMI-associated morbidity and mortality." [Science Daily]

We've sort of covered this topic before,...

Jennifer — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:30:35 EDT

We've sort of covered this topic before, so we're not shocked: Apparently, a person's body mass index (BMI) might not be the best way to determine the healthiness of their weight. BMI only gives a ratio of weight to height. It sorta leaves out some big things like, fat versus muscle and frame size. We expect this to impact the fashion industry's current struggles over models and their weight not at all, as most models have neither fat nor muscles. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

Something's Wrong With The Body Mass Index

Dodai — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:00:00 EDT

If you've ever calculated your BMI (body mass index) and groaned at the category you found yourself in, you're not alone. And a post on the blog Feministe links to a collection of photos put together by a woman named Kate Harding. Harding asked friends — and any other women — to volunteer photographs, height and weight information. The result? Pictures that shock. Because a woman with what you might consider to be a "normal" body is, by BMI standards, "overweight."

A tall, curvy woman falls in the obese category. Harding's friend Laurie, who is 5 feet tall and wears a size 4, is "overweight." The pictures highlight not only what a failure a "standard" index can be, but also challenges what we expect to see when we think of terms like "morbidly obese." The World Heath Organization claims that there are over 1 billion overweight adults on our planet. And clearly, not all of them are both "morbidly obese" and triathletes, like Sarah, the woman pictured. But people around the world come in so many different shapes, sizes and proportions — does having a standard index help the ones who actually need it?

The Obesity Epidemic, In Pictures [Feministe]
Why BMI Is a Crock, In Pictures [Shakesville]
Related: BMI Calculator [CDC]
Obesity and Overweight [WHO]