Posted by fayeroe on October 23, 2006, at 23:59:40
In reply to Re: About the BMI calculator, posted by Dr. Bob on October 23, 2006, at 21:15:01
> > Most calculators say that anything below 18.5 is underweight. Some say it's under 19, but yours says under 20 is underweight.
>
> Hmm, interesting. Who decides what's considered "underweight", did you come across that?
>
> BobWho sets the BMI standards?
A: Medical professionals most often use BMI instead of height/weight charts when studying the effect of body weight on health. 7
In 1995, the World Health Organization recommended a classification for three "grades" of overweight using BMI cutoff points of 25, 30, and 40. The International Obesity Task Force suggested an additional cutoff point of 35 and slightly different terminology.
In 1998, two organizations within National Institutes of Health -- the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases -- put together an expert panel who released a report with definitions for overweight and obesity in agreement with those used by the World Health Organization.
Thresholds
Given the reservations detailed below concerning the limitations of the BMI as a diagnostic tool for individuals, the following are common definitions of BMI categories:Starvation: less than 15
Underweight: less than 18.5
Ideal: from 18.5 to 25
Overweight: from 25 to 30
Obese: from 30 to 40
Morbidly Obese: greater than 40
The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1994 indicates that 59% of American men and 49% of women have BMIs over 25. Extreme obesity — a BMI of 40 or more — was found in 2% of the men and 4% of the women. There are differing opinions on the threshold for being underweight in females, doctors quote anything from 18.5 to 20 as being the lowest weight, the most frequently stated being 19. A BMI nearing 15 is usually used as an indicator for starvation and the health risks involved, with a BMI <17.5 being one of the DSM criteria for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa.
poster:fayeroe
thread:696838
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20061018/msgs/697164.html