Over the past few years, there has been no shortage of things labeled as racist. But now, even this medical tool is apparently used discriminately.
Chances are, just about everyone reading this will have used or had a body mass index (BMI) tool used on them before. As its name implies, it seeks to measure your body mass and is typically used to gauge a person’s relative health about their weight. It’s been used by physicians in all fields for about two centuries.
But this year, 2023, the American Medical Association (AMA) has decided that it shouldn’t be used anymore because it has “racist” roots and doesn’t take into certain considerations, such as one’s skin color and ethnicity.
Now, to be sure, the BMI has a few issues.
If you know much about the tool or health in general, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists a healthy BMI of somewhere between 18.5 and 24.9. Below this is considered to be underweight, while 25 to 29.9 is seen as overweight. Those with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese.
The calculations basically work by taking an individual’s height and weight and assigning them a score. However, someone with lots of muscle mass, little to no body fat, and fairly tall might be considered overweight or even obese, such as Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.
He is 6’3″ and weighs 247, giving him a BMI score of 30.9, which usually means he is obese. But as you can see, he’s among the NFL’s healthiest, fastest, and leanest men.
Derrick Henry with an early contender for best off-season workout pics pic.twitter.com/2vcpSkFLol
— Luke Sawhook 🪚🪝 (@lukesawhook) February 26, 2023
Similarly, regardless of race, women with higher-than-average muscle mass, such as those who work out regularly or use strength training, may have a BMI score that says they are overweight when they really aren’t.
However, for the most part, the tool can still be used with relative accuracy in most cases. And at the end of the day, it is a tool for you and your doctors to assess your health.
But now, the AMA says it might not be getting things right because skin color is not considered.
What a load of crap…
