There actually has been some suggestion that 25 is too high - for some populations (Asian, I believe). I'm not sure exactly how they arrived at the cut-off (I remember reading it somewhere). Stephen is correct at the social stigma and how that affects people in numerous ways - decreased likelyhood of getting hired & promoted, problems with getting medical care (one study found 1 out of every 10 nurses were revolted by fat people). There is some research on physical problems - difficulty doing daily living tasks such as climbing stairs, getting groceries to the house, etc.
sbl...@ubishops.ca wrote: > >Being in an agreeable mood today, I would tend to agree, thus partially >retracting my previous praise for the NPR piece attacking BMI. But as I >noted, what I take issue with are the guidelines identifying anyone with >a BMI of 25 and over as "overweight" and 30 and over as "obese". > >These purport to be scientifically based on evidence relating BMI to >mortality, but in fact are arbitrary and certainly too low, thus >inflating support for the claimed "epidemic" of obesity. I've actually >tried to track the origin of these cut-offs but have found nothing >scientifically justifiable in their original production. Yet they label >millions of people as "obese" and "overweight", both terms implying >unhealthy medical conditions requiring (usually futile) action. On the >contrary, one can be both fat and healthy. And sometimes, as in the >article I cited, being "overweight" can be healthier than having a just- >right BMI. But you won't hear any of this from doctors handing out your >yearly checkup advice. > >The real problem with elevated BMI isn't medical but social. I recall >(which means I don't have a source) that the social stigma associated >with obesity is second only to mental illness. Society is not nice to fat >people. > > >Stephen > >------------------------------------------------------- >Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. >Professor of Psychology, Emeritus >Bishop's University e-mail: sbl...@ubishops.ca >2600 College St. >Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 >Canada > >Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of >psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ >----------------------------------------------------------------------- > >--- >To make changes to your subscription contact: > >Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) > ---------------------------------- Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University 229-333-5994 dbri...@valdosta.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
