How Often Is B.M.I. Misleading?

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 20:45:07 -0400

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/summer-of-science-2015/latest/how-often-is-bmi-misleading?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

We've spoken a lot about Height/Weight Standards, and the "Tape Test" being inaccurate measures of health. Linked is an article, with some interesting data. It appears that the magic number is 18% (approximate 1 in 5).

Presented for discussion.

We were struck by the massive response to our post on how it’s possible for individuals to have the same B.M.I. but very different bodies. Readers told us about their muscles, and about being overweigh...

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 29 at 2015 8:47 PM

Col Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 20:47:02 -0400

Interesting read. I am not a fan of the tape test.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Aug 29 at 2015 9:09 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 21:09:29 -0400

I understand there are standards for a reason, having always battled weight and the tape test myself. One's H/W is a personal responsibility as is passing the APFT, which I was always able to do. The only comment I ever had about it was, if they can flag you for failing H/W or APFT and deny you favorable actions, then how come there's not a scale or running track to take an APFT next to the airstrip when you board a plane for a deployment? Hmm...

Response by PO2 Jonathan Scharff made Aug 29 at 2015 9:53 PM

PO2 Jonathan Scharff — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 21:53:49 -0400

All I can say is I've run a 4:20 mile & 15:15 min 3.3 mile cross country course all the while failing the tape test. Got a 300 on every PT test in the service. I set a course record in running at every station I was at and then waited for all the guys that "passed" the height/weight test to saunter in...I always thought it was funny actually.

Response by SSG Robert Spina made Aug 30 at 2015 10:37 AM

SSG Robert Spina — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 10:37:36 -0400

I HAD A BODY BUILDER IN MY UNIT THIS GUY WAS SOLID MUSCLE BUT DUE TO THE BMI REGULATIONS HE WAS CONSIDERED OVER WEIGHT

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Aug 31 at 2015 4:35 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 04:35:54 -0400

At 6'5" 129 When I joined and 6'4" and 169 when I retired. Never was a Problem for me.

Response by 1LT Joe Baker made Sep 1 at 2015 2:05 PM

1LT Joe Baker — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 14:05:58 -0400

BMI was created to evaluate total populations, not individuals.
http://www.cutthewaist.com/bmi.html
"Although BMI is a useful measurement across populations, it is increasingly apparent that BMI has significant limitations in the assessment of the individual as it does not take into account the distribution of body fat."

The origins and limitations of BMI: The importance of waist circumference: Cut the Waist

The concept of BMI - a simple ratio of weight in relation to height, was the work of a Belgian statistician, Adolphe Quetelet who published his "Quetelet Index" in 1832. It is important to emphasise that Quetelet had no interest in studying obesity when he developed this index.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 23 at 2016 1:27 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 13:27:52 -0400

Well, it all depends on which branch of the service you are speaking about; really the only correct method that has been documented medically is the immersion test that the USAF utilizes, this test is actually the only way to attain exact data on body fat vs. actual muscle, etc.; the other tests are very subjective, and leave too much room for error. The "pinch" test is the second test I would trust somewhat; again its still subjective, as the person administering the test can easily skew the results, but its still better than the "tape" test, which is not an accurate measurement for body fat; this has been documented by the medical profession for years.