More Than a Number: Why You Shouldn’t Fixate on BMI

It can be tricky to keep track of your family’s health, especially as children grow up and their bodies and habits change so quickly. There are many different ways to measure and track body weight and composition, and one of the most popular of these is BMI, or body mass index. BMI uses the relationship between age, weight, and height to determine if a person’s weight is in a normal range for their age and size. 

But, while BMI is more detailed than just body weight, it’s still a very simplistic method of measuring health. Your family doctor will likely use BMI to make sure your children are growing at a healthy rate, but their overall health is about much more than just relative body weight, like eating a variety of healthy foods and getting regular exercise.

Issues with BMI

First off, muscle weighs more than fat. So if your child is athletic then their BMI will seem higher because their overall weight is heavier, even though they’re getting plenty of exercise. According to their BMI, many professional football players are technically obese, even though they spend their days exercising and have healthy diets. Second, depending on gender and ethnicity, different bodies store fat differently, and it can be hard to compare across these categories when looking only at BMI. Third, sometimes health is about more than weight, and your child’s emotional and mental wellbeing is far more important than a number on a scale.

Obsessing over the scale will only make your kids feel insecure and can lead to bigger issues later in life. It’s much better to focus on making sure your kids eat whole foods in healthy-sized portions, and get some exercise everyday. Let BMI remain a tool your doctor uses to get a quick snapshot of your child’s health when they need it.

Understanding Your Family’s Health

If you want a more accurate picture of your family’s health than just bodyweight, a better option is body composition. This kind of measurement identifies how much of a person’s body is fat, which is a good indication of overall health than BMI. However, it’s important to note that children’s bodies change rapidly as they develop and go through puberty, so spending time obsessing over their weight and body composition isn’t always productive unless a doctor has recommended it.

Instead, spend your energy cooking healthy food and helping your kids find exercise they enjoy, and not only will their physical health benefit, they’ll become better able to independently take care of their health in the future.