Eighth grader pens powerful response to BMI question on school test
For years, health clubs and gyms have been using the Body Mass Index (BMI) to calculate a person’s weight category.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s calculated when “a person’s weight in kilograms [is] divided by the square of [their] height in meters.”
But one eighth grader had some different thoughts.
Responding to a school health quiz asking “What is BMI?” and “Calculate your BMI,” Tessa Embry of Indiana had this to say.
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“BMI is an outdated way of defining normal weight, under weight, over weight and obesity by taking one person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by their height.”
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She then goes on to say why this is flawed – quoting an expert in the field.
“One of the formula’s obvious flaws, explains Alan Aragon, the men’s health weight loss coach and nutritionist in California, is that it has absolutely no way of discriminating fat and muscle.”
She then gives the example of an athletic women with a decent diet who is 80 per cent muscle, whose BMI indicates she is obese.
“Does that make sense to you? Because it sure doesn’t make sense to me.”
She concludes by saying that because of examples like this, BMI is an outdated practice.
“In conclusion, BMI is an outdated way of determining a person’s body health, and it’s a measurement that SHOULD NOT be used in a school setting where students are already self-conscious and lacking confidence in their unique bodies.”
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When asked to calculate her own BMI, her response was just as thorough.
“Now I’m not going to even open my laptop to calculate my BMI. And I’ll tell you why.”
She then goes on to explain her own weight struggles, wearing four bras to cover up fat on her back and wrapping her stomach in bandages to try and look skinnier. Eventually she ended up at her doctor’s office where she was told that while she was a little over weight, it wasn’t cause for concern.
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“So this is where I don’t calculate my BMI because my doctor, a man who went to college for eight years studying children’s health, told me my height and weight are right on track. I am just beginning to love my body, like I should, and I’m not going to let some outdated calculator and a middle school gym teacher tell me I’m obese, because I’m not.”
“My BMI is none of your concern because my body and BMI are perfect and beautiful just the way they are.”
What do you think of this eighth graders response to her health quiz? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA or by leaving a comment below.
