This series on obesity continues with the discussion of body mass index (BMI), and whether BMI is over-valued when assessing the health of individuals. BMI is a medical calculation that is almost 200 years old. Developed in 1832 by a Belgian mathematician, Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, the BMI was designed to quickly estimate the degree of overweight and obesity in a defined population that would help governments decide the allocation of health and financial resources. Quetelet believed the BMI was useful only in providing a snapshot of a population’s overall health – his intent was not to measure the health of single individuals. BMI is derived from your height and weight, calculated by dividing weight (in pounds) by height (in inches squared) and multiplying by 703. If you're curious, you can quickly learn your own BMI here. Once calculated, the BMI is compared to the BMI Read More >