PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Body mass index (BMI) is used by virtually everyone, from your family doctor to your insurance company, to measure obesity.
Recently, an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine questioned its widespread use. The tool was chosen for its simplicity — all you need is a person's height, weight and a calculator, and it rapidly became a source of truth.
The debate is definitely needed. BMI is an imperfect measure because it doesn't account for body frame, ethnicity and sex. The problem is that it is embedded in everything from electronic medical record technology to FDA recommendations and approaches to care.
One option that's been suggested is to water down its importance in clinical decisions.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
