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Previous Volume 346:2092-2093 June 27, 2002 Number 26 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: Regarding the review article by Yanovski and Yanovski on the treatment of obesity (Feb. 21 issue),¹ I am concerned about the use of the body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) to categorize patients. The body-mass index arose as a screening tool for determining which persons had a high risk of obesity.² Classifying persons as "normal," "overweight," or "obese" according to their body-mass index elevates the measure from a screening tool to a diagnostic criterion and creates potential problems.³

Compare a National Football League star with a body-mass index . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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