Comments on: Another reason to walk, another to downplay BMI

By: Jeff P

Jeff P — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:57:15 +0000

I think the Wii Fit people need to re-think their approach. If ones uses their system for tracking fitness and weight, you will find that the BMI is the primary criterion.

By: JoeMiller

JoeMiller — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:27:33 +0000

In reply to Rafe. Even as a tool for evaluating populations it seems flawed for the same reasons it's flawed for individuals: it doesn't recognize more dense and heavier muscle mass. If we all decided one day to get buff, we'd still be considered overweight. I'm surprised a more accurate assessment hasn't been devised.

By: Rafe

Rafe — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:58:02 +0000

One thing I’ve read that made a lot of sense is that BMI is not an incredibly useful metric for individuals because it wasn’t designed to be. It’s an index that was designed for sampling populations. So looking at changes in the BMI of a population over 20 years can be useful, or comparing the BMI of one group against another can be illustrative, but talking about a person’s BMI as a placeholder for their health or fitness is not particularly useful.

By: Jeff P

Jeff P — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:13:35 +0000

Good stuff! I am glad to see that there is someone else besides me that has a problem with the BMI. My wife calls me skinny but my BMI tells me I am borderline overweight. Either she is being kind, or my BMI reading is misleading. Some days I am not sure.