BMI for children is interpreted quite differently, by percentile comparison to
their ages peers. The BMI ranges traditionally given apply to adults, age 20
and up. See the Wikipedia article linked in Stan's message.
The ranges would be a lot clearer if the index was always presented with units
attached (kg/m²) not as a "naked number."
________________________________
From: "cont...@metricpioneer.com" <cont...@metricpioneer.com>
To: U.S. Metric Association <usma@colostate.edu>
Sent: Monday, January 5, 2015 12:40 AM
Subject: [USMA:54553] Re: Metric BMI
My granddaughter Willow on 31 Dec 2014 falls into the Normal weight range
according to her BMI (Body Mass Index). See photo.
----- Message from Stanislav Jakuba <jakub...@gmail.com> ---------
Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2015 09:01:50 -0500
From: Stanislav Jakuba <jakub...@gmail.com>
Reply-To: jakub...@gmail.com
Subject: [USMA:54548] Metric BMI
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu>
Friends:
>In case there was among your New Year 2015 wishes "to lose weight," and you
>think that the Body Mass Index (BMI) is a recent invention, you may be
>surprised that it was proposed already in 1835. In France by certain Mr.
>Quetelet, a distinguished scientist active in that by-gone era of fundamental
>discoveries in science and health care.
>
>Working in public health he "derived a simple measure for classifying people's
>weight relative to an ideal weight for their height." His proposal, the body
>mass index (or Quetelet index), has endured to the present day and experienced
>a broad recognition with the health and diet craze of our generation.
>
>No wonder the French are thin. They have been at it for almost two centuries.
>
>Oh, the formula? Mass in kg divided by height in m, divided by the height
>again.
----- End message from Stanislav Jakuba <jakub...@gmail.com> -----
