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Politics : Evolution -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (19336)	1/7/2012 12:41:01 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 69300

"the 'explosion' is they changed the standard of what is considered obese" The BMI of 30+ has been the standard for 30 years now so the "explosion" in unhealthy weight is very real and transcends culture, race, gender, and age (without ignoring group differences of both known and unknown etiology). As to the accuracy of the BMI in determining obesity and the risk for certain diseases... ______________________ "BMI is an important indicator of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence. When measurements are taken carefully and compared with appropriate growth charts and recommended cutoffs, BMI provides an excellent indicator of overweight and obesity that is sufficient for most clinical, screening, and surveillance purposes. Accurate measurements of height and weight require that adequate attention be given to data collection and management. Choosing appropriate equipment and measurement protocols and providing regular training and standardization of data collectors are critical aspects that apply to all settings in which BMI will be measured and used. Proxy measures for directly measured BMI, such as self-reports or parental reports of height and weight, are much less preferred and should only be used with caution and cognizance of the limitations, biases, and uncertainties attending these measures. There is little evidence that other measures of body fat such as skinfolds, waist circumference, or bioelectrical impedance are sufficiently practicable or provide appreciable added information to be used in the identification of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese. Consequently, for most clinical, school, or community settings these measures are not recommended for routine practice. These alternative measures of fatness remain important for research and perhaps in some specialized screening situations that include a specific focus on risk factors for cardiovascular or diabetic disease. pediatrics.aappublications.org]overweight[/url] obesity child obesity measurement BMI (weight [kg]/height [m2]) has probably become the most common indicator used to assess overweight and obesity in a wide variety of settings, including clinical, public health, and community-based programs. Although it is certainly not a perfect surrogate for total body fatness and not without its technical limitations, 1 BMI has been recommended as the most appropriate single indicator of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents outside of research settings. 2– 4 One of the attractive features of BMI is that it is derived from measurements of height and weight. These 2 anthropometric dimensions are the ones most commonly collected on children worldwide. These 2 measurements are noninvasive, relatively inexpensive to obtain, and relatively easily understood by health practitioners, the individuals being measured, and their families." pediatrics.aappublications.org