Overview of BMI and Other Ways of Measuring and Screening for Obesity in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Despite a long history of advances in measuring body size and composition, body mass index (BMI) has remained the most commonly used clinical measure. We explore the advantages and disadvantages of using BMI and other measures to estimate adipose tissue, recognizing that no measure of body size or adiposity has fulfilled the goal of differentiating health from disease. BMI and waist circumference remain widely-used clinical screening measures for appropriate risk stratification as it relates to obesity.

Keywords: Adiposity; Air displacement plethysmography; Body mass index; Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; Hydrodensitometry; MRI; Measurement; Screening.