Better than BMI: More accurate way to determine adolescent obesity
A new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics shows that tri-ponderal mass index estimates body fat more accurately than the traditional BMI in adolescents. These new findings are timely as diagnosing, treating and tracking the prevalence of children and adolescents with obesity is a high public health priority. Moreover, many school districts are sending home report cards labeling adolescents as overweight -- a practice that has been controversial because children and adolescents tend to be more vulnerable to weight bias and fat shaming than adults. "Treating obesity in adolescents requires an accurate diagnosis first," said lead scientist Courtney Peterson, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "We found that TMI is both more accurate and easier to use than BMI percentiles. These new findings have the power to potentially change the way we diagnos...