BMI under attack—once again!
Over the past decades the BMI has been under attack. BMI is a tool that tells us if we should be concerned about being obese or overweight. It can be calculated using the Internet (Google it) or one can use apps. Or use your calculator—weight in kg divided by height in meters and again divided that by height in meters.
I was asked to comment on the usefulness of the BMI during my weekly radio interview with QR77 (the number one rated radio station in Calgary).
That interview was prompted by a new measure called the Body Adiposity index (BAI) announced recently. One can find the interview in the archives of QR77 online (Look at 6h15 on March 7, 2011)
The problem reminded me of what Winston Churchill said: Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the other forms that have been tried. My point is that although the BMI is not perfect, all the alternatives are worse—and that includes the BAI, waist measurement or the waist-hip ratio.
So the bottom line is that the BMI, although imperfect, still is the best tool we have when it comes to checking if you or your child may be obese. Once you calculated the BMI look at www.cdc.gov/growthcharts to get an idea where the child may fit relative to his or her peers.
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