Florida Mother Outraged at School's 'Fat Letter': Is BMI Bogus?

BMI misunderstood once again! See the article to the left for more details. Parents receive these letters without a full understanding nor explanation of what BMI is looking at for a person. And yet the mother in the article list many of the reasons explaining why a high BMI is not significant for her daughter but complains about getting the letter! BMI only looks at height and weight and a mathematical figure to arrive at a BMI score.Understanding that requires some further explanation: BMI does not identify muscle in a body. Muscle weighs more than fat and so this is the unknown factor when reading a score. Just because a BMI is high could mean that the person is very muscular and thus being overweight would not carry the same impact if one were mostly body fat. Next: If one is physically fit either by running alot or playing sports then again BMI can be misleading due to muscle mass, and thus fitness is the more important factor than a high BMI for health. Next: BMI is important to consider because medically, research has shown a relationship with high BMI and diabetes, strokes, cardiac conditions etc., and so BMI is not something that should be ignored. Next: BMI is only a tool in further looking at yourself or your child and evaluating your own or your childs physical condition and health and then making adjustments to your diet and activity level. If you are not physically fit and have a high BMI then you need to pay attention to that score for your own health and your future. This is only a brief explanation of BMI and I hope you can look at it as a tool to help you to self evaluate your own wellness or that of your child's. DON't dismiss it as stupid and insignificant as the medical literature substantiates the value of looking at BMI. But you knowing the in's and out's of BMI will help you to better understand what it is telling you! Your comments are always welcome. Mr Fantaroni