this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
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Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity (www.nature.com)
submitted 1 year ago by Bebo@literature.cafe to c/science@beehaw.org
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The main diagnostic test for obesity — the body mass index — accounts for only height and weight, leaving out a slew of factors that influence body fat and health.

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[–] middlemuddle@beehaw.org 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think that's just more examples of it being misused. BMI may be useful to compare populations in certain instances. It has value in being easily calculated based off data that is often easy to obtain. But, there are many situations where it would be inappropriate to use BMI for statistical comparison. That doesn't mean it's entirely useless.

[–] OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I mean BMI is also useful for comparing individuals in certain instances. That's why doctor's use it.

It's a crappy measure, but it's good enough for a range of use. You just have to be thoughtful enough to say, yeah it's not going to work for this person.

I'm not anti BMI, I'm just opposed to people repeating statements like "BMI is useful to compare populations" which don't really mean anything.