Measures of Body “Fatness” or “Leanness”
Following are several measures of body fatness. Before beginning your calculations, remember that we are stressing healthy body weights, not body size per current cultural and fashion trends. These systems are based on averages and not all people are going to fit in them. These are not rules, but guidelines. Some people have higher metabolic rates. Body Mass Index (BMI) does not work well with certain population types such as younger than eighteen years, competitive athletes, body builders, pregnant or nursing women, or frail older persons. “Weight for Height” tables which are often taken from life insurance data about which body weight to height ratios have the longer life span. It doesn’t always take into account diverse populations such as new immigrants from Asia, African, or Mexico, who do not usually have not had life insurance policies and have different genetic body types. Although there are now some on the web that are more specific for various nationalities and body types.