Quetelet-Index
The Quetelet-Index, often known today as the Body Mass Index (BMI), was developed by the Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet in the 19th century. This index was initially part of Quetelet's broader work on what he termed "Social Physics," where he sought to apply statistical methods to social phenomena, including human body measurements.
History
- Adolphe Quetelet introduced the concept in his 1832 publication, "A Treatise on Man and the Development of His Faculties," where he proposed the idea that human physical characteristics could be represented by a normal distribution, or bell curve. This work laid the foundation for what would later become anthropometry.
- The Quetelet-Index was initially used to assess the degree of obesity in a population by comparing an individual's weight relative to their height squared.
- It wasn't until the 1970s that the term "Body Mass Index" was adopted, when the index was re-popularized by physiologist Ancel Keys, who demonstrated its usefulness in studying population health and obesity.
Calculation and Use
The Quetelet-Index is calculated by dividing an individual's weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared:
BMI = weight(kg) / height(m)2
This formula provides a simple numeric measure of a person's body shape, indicating whether they are underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.
Context and Limitations
- Quetelet's original intent was not to provide a diagnostic tool for individual health but rather to understand the 'average man' within a population.
- The index has been criticized for not accounting for factors like muscle mass, bone density, body shape, and racial or gender differences, which can affect its accuracy in individual assessments.
- Despite these limitations, BMI remains a widely used screening tool due to its simplicity and the ease with which data can be collected.
References
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