Big Issues – August 2001
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Adolphe Quetelet , born in Belgium in 1796, had diverse interests in mathematics, astronomy, and statistics. He measured physical characteristics of various races and attempted to correlate his measurements with moral qualities. He presented the concept of “l’homme moyen” (the average man) in 1831. It began as a simple attempt to mathematically describe some characteristics of a population, but later the "average man" was presented as the ideal of nature. Deviations from this ideal were considered errors, or “monstrosities”, as he described those who differed significantly from the norm. Quetelet was highly respected in his time, but his work has now been largely discredited, and he has been described as “a man who loved numbers, and wasn't afraid of jumping to conclusions.” Yet one aspect of Quetelet’s work remains. The Quetelet Index, now more commonly known as the body mass index (BMI), is defined as: (weight in kilograms)/(height in metres) |
Less than 18.5 Underweight
18.5 to 24.9 Normal
25 to 29.9 Overweight
30 to 34.9 Mildly obese
35 to 39.9 Moderately obese
40 or greater Extremely obese
You can check out your own BMI at http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm.
Mathematicians readily appreciate that the BMI is arbitrary, and not based on sound scientific reasoning. It cannot measure the shape of a person, is especially misleading in shorter individuals and takes no account of muscularity. Although it is used to predict the risk of various diseases, it has no meaning unless considered along with physical fitness, body shape, genetic factors, age, sex, cigarette smoking and general health. A physically fit person with a high BMI is probably in much better shape than a couch potato with an average BMI.
This historical curiosity remains firmly entrenched in medical thought and research, perhaps because it is simple to measure and is well publicised, and perhaps because most health professionals have minimal training in statistics and fail to recognise the shortcomings of the measurement.
Not only our health, but also our sexual attractiveness and even our sense of smell have been related to our BMI. According to this dubious measure, we are classified, labelled and stigmatised. As a consequence of our labels, even more dubious treatments are recommended to bring us closer to that ideal of “the average man”.
My contention is that we need not aspire to the mediocrity of the average man or to any arbitrary measurement of normality. Instead we do far better to strive for the best possible state of health and fitness that our individual bodies allow.
Wendy Pryor
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