Recent research by Ball State University found that although body mass index (BMI) labels some pro athletes as obese, it does work for the average person.
Ball State's Adult Physical Fitness Program tested 3,775 people in 2003 and found that only three percent were misclassified,Leonard Kaminsky, physical education professor, said. Ball State's Human Performance Lab conducted the study with Mitch Whaley, chair of Ball State's School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science.
BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight by his or her height.
Body fat criteria for obesity varies between men and women. Men are considered obese if they have 20 percent body fat and women are obese if they have 27 percent body fat.
Many professional athletes are listed as obese because they have a high percentage of muscle, Kaminsky said.
"BMI is not meant for professional athletes because the index does not distinguish between fat and muscle. A 230-pound basketball player may be listed as obese but may have less than 10 percent body fat."
The Ball State study found that only 20 of the 687 participants identified as obese would have been misclassified.
The data shows that BMI can detect obesity accurately, which means clinicians should consider BMI as the key obesity assessment measure for adults, Kaminsky said.
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