ABC News Daily 2025 Picks: Why we need to move beyond BMI
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Jan 1, 2026 Dr. Louise Bauer, a leading expert in child and adolescent health, and Willow Muscada, a Perth student who underwent a breast reduction, delve into the issues surrounding BMI. Willow recounts her struggle with BMI misclassification, which delayed her surgery. Dr. Bauer highlights the historical misuse of BMI and how it can mislead assessments for athletes and ethnic groups. They advocate for a shift towards recognizing clinical versus preclinical obesity and emphasize the need for nuanced approaches in healthcare.
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BMI Mislabelled A Patient
- Willow Muscada described being repeatedly classified as overweight or obese because large breasts inflated her BMI.
- Her GP initially refused a referral for reduction surgery until she found a doctor who listened and removed three kilos of tissue.
BMI's Original Purpose Was Different
- BMI began as Ketelet's Index to compare height-to-weight ratios in soldiers, not to measure body fat.
- Its epidemiological usefulness doesn't justify blunt individual health judgments without further assessment.
High BMI Doesn’t Always Mean Fat
- A high BMI can reflect muscle, not excess body fat, so athletes may be misclassified as obese.
- BMI indicates probability of high body fat but cannot distinguish muscle from fat in individuals.