The American Medical Association (AMA) has warned against using the Body Mass Index (BMI) as the sole metric to determine whether an individual is overweight or not—citing “historical harm” from the measurement.
BMI is measured by dividing an individual’s weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters. It does not measure body fat directly. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 among adults aged 20 and above is seen as “healthy.” BMI between 25 and 29.9 is seen as “overweight” while a value of 30 and above is classified as “obese.” In a June 14 press release, the AMA said that BMI as a measurement tool was “racist” as it has largely relied on data collected from generations of non-Hispanic white populations.
